Sunil Gavaskar’s birthday to India’s WC heartbreak, MS Dhoni’s retirement:Happiness and heartbreak on 10 July for Indian cricket

Happiness and heartbreak are two sides of the same coin, as is said oftentimes, and it could not be more apt than for the 10th of July, and Indian cricket. On one hand, the day saw the birth of one of cricket’s biggest legends, Sunil Gavaskar, who would go on to leave a lasting impression on the game, inspiring generations to follow. The day hence should see Gavaskar being celebrated in the cricket fraternity. On the other hand, 10 July is the same fateful day when India’s 2019 World Cup dream ended in heartbreak with an agonising 18-run defeat to New Zealand. Sunil Gavaskar turns 77 today Indian cricket witnessed the birth of one of its legends, Sunil Gavaskar, on this day, in the year 1949. Born in Mumbai, Gavaskar would go on to become one of the finest batters of his generation. He made his debut in 1971 against the mighty West Indies and would go on to play an integral role in India’s first-ever World Cup win in 1983. Gavaskar also became the first batter in the world to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, achieving the feat against Pakistan in 1987. After his retirement, he served as a consultant to the Indian team and went on to become one of the most popular commentators in modern-day cricket. 2019 World Cup heartbreak, MS Dhoni’s international retirement on this day While 10 July is significant for Indian cricket because of Gavaskar’s birthday, it is also memorable because on this very day came one of the biggest heartbreaks for the Men in Blue. India were playing New Zealand in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup on 9 July, and the match stretched to the next day (10 July) due to rain in Manchester. New Zealand batted first and scored 239/8, after Kane Williamson’s 67. For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had picked up three wickets. Chasing 240 to win on the reserve day, India batters faltered and were reduced to 92/6 at one stage. MS Dhoni, who had experienced such situations many a time throughout his career, then stitched a 116-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja to keep India alive in the contest. Jadeja’s dismissal ended the partnership, but India’s hopes were totally dashed after Dhoni was run out in the 49th over. India went on to lose the match by 18 runs. Additionally, that match eventually turned out to be Dhoni’s last in international cricket. The three-time ICC title-winning captain announced his retirement through an Instagram post in 2020.