“Naming my son after him was a no-brainer: Why Sunil Gavaskar named Rohan Gavaskar after this legendary West Indies cricketer?

Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar’s life journey has been as happening and interesting as his Cricketing career. It all began soon after his birth, when he was almost exchanged with a fisherwoman’s son, had not it been for his uncle and his presence of mind.

When his international career as team India batter commenced, he was interestingly off the mark as a result of an umpiring error. Thereafter, just five Test matches into his career, he became the centre of attraction of the English media after he was pushed down the ground by pacer John Snow, which eventually handed the latter a one-match ban.

As far as his personal life from the romantic front is concerned, Gavaskar was akin a typical Indian movie lead actor who would roam in the lanes nearby his potential life partner’s house, before eventually marrying her with her parent’s consent.

Sunil Gavaskar named Rohan Gavaskar after this legendary West Indies cricketer

Less than a couple of years post marrying Marshneil Gavaskar, the couple were blessed with a son on February 20, 1976.

The duo named their son Rohan, decided by Gavaskar himself, and which also involved an interesting back story from his debut Test series against the West Indies.

Rohan Kanhai, the former West Indies batter with 79 Test matches and 15 centuries under his name, would turn up on the field as a Sunil Gavaskar well wisher, cheering him secretly to score a hundred during latter’s debut series in 1971.

As unbelievable as it might sound, Rohan would offer him a tip or two, come up with certain advises, would motivate him to concentrate harder in order to score a century – all of this while fielding for the West Indies during the match and in a manner that he wouldn’t get caught by his teammates.

“In my debut series, if I played a bad shot when crossing over me to go to the slips for the next over, if he (Rohan Kanhai) was not within earshot of the wicketkeeper, he would whisper in my ear: ‘Concentrate! Don’t you want a 100? What’s the matter with you? He’s in the opposition, he’s not swearing at me, he actually wants me to get a 100. Unbelievable!” Sunil Gavaskar had remarked during an interaction with renowned sports presenter Gaurav Kapur.

Over the course of time, Gavaskar would have such a deep respect for Rohan Kanhai – his kind, humble, and selfless nature, that he had no second thoughts while coming up with a name for his son.

“Apart from his batsmanship, (why I respected Rohan Kanhai so much was because of) how he secretly encouraged me. Off the field, he (Kanhai) was one of the nicest guys I ever met. Naming my son after him was a no-brainer,” Sunil Gavaskar would remark.