When Gavaskar and Kapil Dev opened the bowling for India? (13 July 2001)
Sunil Gavaskar opened the batting for India in 119 of his 125 Tests which
isn't unusual. That he opened the bowling in four Tests definitely is. The
first time it happened was against England at Chepauk in 1972/73. Sunny had
bowled in four previous Tests, including his debut when he was first
change. But this was the first time he was awarded joint custody of the new
ball, with Eknath Solkar, albeit for one measly over. Four years later when
the Englishmen visited again, Sunny opened the bowling in either innings
for the only time in his career, at the Wankhede Stadium. This time his
opening partner was Karsan Ghavri.
The firm of Gavaskar & Ghavri opened together once more against Australia
at the MCG on the last day of 1977. The final instance occurred at Lahore's
Gaddafi Stadium in the following year and marked Sunny's longest spell with
the new ball, a marathon four overs. Sunny's last new ball partner was a
19-year-old from Chandigarh called Kapil Dev, then playing his second Test.
Skipper Bishen Bedi was perhaps influenced by the previous Test in
Faisalabad when Gavaskar, coming on as fifth change, removed Zaheer Abbas
for what remained his only Test wicket.
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