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Sunil Gavaskar was in no mood to accept Irfan Pathan’s apology on live TV after he was left mesmerised by the former India all-rounder’s outstanding analysis of KL Rahul’s batting. Pathan was explaining Rahul’s balance during his innings of 101 against South Africa in the 1st Test at Centurion. The prognosis of his batting was so spot on by Pathan than Gavaskar simply stood there in awe, completely captivated by every word coming out of his mouth. Realising that perhaps he’d been going on for long, Irfan issues a soft apology, saying ‘Sorry, sir’ to Gavaskar.
“See, firstly, in terms of technique, Sunny sir had mentioned how he should play underneath his head. For a batter, it’s always a point of discussion as to whether he is stretching his legs forward or going back while playing the ball. In case of Rahul, he is allowing the ball to come to him, which is a must. But besides that, a brilliant aspect of his batting was the position of his bat. The angle of the bat is not in line with his hands – it’s slightly behind. What that does is that you get that little extra time. Otherwise, you will fumble and end up playing the ball on your toes. That’s where the chances of edge increased,” Pathan said during the lunch interval on Day 1.
“Sir sorry,” he added, before Gavaskar said, ‘no problem’. But if you keep the bat at that angle, you have time. This is actually a masterclass for young boys. If there is help in the pitch, you can actually hold the bat softly.”
Gavaskar then chipped in, saying he refuses to accept Irfan’s apology because listening to Pathan was a learning curve for him as well. Always one to stress on the basics, such as converting ones into twos, the importance of grounding the bat and playing along with the V. Gavaskar, who is an ocean of knowledge, had no shame in admitting that he was overwhelmed by Pathan’s analogy.
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“He said sorry to me but I won’t accept it because today I have also learnt something new. As long as you stay a student of the game, you will always learn and it will only benefit you. I had never thought about it but this is such a deep insight in terms of technique. I am not at all surprised because he is an all-rounder. He has studied Rahul’s batting from a bowler’s point of view,” Gavaskar replied.
Watch the video below:
Imagine, Gavaskar, who has been associated with cricket for at least 50 years – first as a player and then as a broadcaster, expert, analyst, and columnist – for Pathan hearing something as priceless and invaluable as this, as he fittingly expressed, became the highlight of his day, month, and year.
“Gratitude fills me today, and it’s not just any day — thanks to Sunny sir for the uplifting compliment. Truly made my year,” Pathan posted on X.
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