NEW DELHI: West Indies great Vivian Richards on Saturday termed former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar an “icon and inspiration” for the generations to come.
Gavaskar, the former India skipper, on Saturday celebrated the 50th anniversary of his Test debut. Richards congratulated the former Indian cricketer on a “spectacular career”.
“Congratulations to Sunil on his 50th anniversary of a spectacular career debut. The man is an icon & an inspiration for generations to come. Thankful to have had the opportunity to dismiss him on my debut. Important catches mean a lot in making good results you know,” Richards tweeted.

Earlier in the day, BCCI felicitated Gavaskar for his contribution to Indian cricket as secretary Jay Shah honoured the batting great during the lunch break on day three of the fourth Test between India and England at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Gavaskar made his Test debut on March 6, 1971, against West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Over his career, Gavaskar went on to break many batting records and established himself as one of the finest batsmen to ever play the game.

India toured the West Indies during the 1970-71 cricket season for a five-Test series. The series turned out to be one of the most memorable ones as India won their first-ever Test series against the West Indies.
India, led by Ajit Wadekar, emerged victorious 1-0 in the five-match series and Gavaskar finished as the leading run-scorer, registering four centuries including one double ton. In his career, Gavaskar played 125 Tests and 108 ODIs for India. He was also a part of wins in the 1983 World Cup win and in 1985 World Championship of Cricket.