It was a prolific pair and quite a contrasting one too-Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth ideally complemented each other. One, a genius of concentration, defense and technique, the other a maverick, a dasher and a trend-setter!
In many ways, Srikkanth allowed Gavaskar to be the genius he was. He took the pressure off him, going after the bowling with unorthodox shots, hitting in the air and taking the risks while the 'Little Master' showed his class and mastery at the other.
Its not a surprise then that Gavaskar, while reminiscing the good ol' days fondly remembers his fellow-opener and regards him as the best opening partner he had.
Quite interestingly, 'cheeka', as Srikkanth is popularly known as, also encouraged Gavaskar to sometimes play the slightly unorthodox shots with a certain calculated risk which the classic opener usually would not have dared.
"As my opening partner, Srikkanth somehow liberated me as a batsman. He used to encourage me to play the shots that I wouldn't otherwise offer. He had a positive influence on me," said Gavaskar.
Sunil Gavaskar is regarded as perhaps the greatest opener the world has ever seen. His ability to play, negotiate and dominate genuine and hostile fast bowling (when he faced the likes of Holding, Roberts, Marshall and Garner) was of the highest class.
When asked to name the best opening pairs of all time, he rated the Australian pairs of Bobby Simpson and Bill Lawry along with Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer as the best ever.
Reggie Miller aint allowed we dont like da pacers
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