One of the all-time highest-scoring right-arm openers in the multi-day format of world cricket, he once featured as a left-armer to save his team from the embarrassment of defeat.  That too when the team came to the crease after losing six wickets in the second innings.
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           1981-82 Ranji Trophy season... Things were not easy for Gavaskar's Bombay as they faced hosts Karnataka under Gundappa Vishwanath in the semi-finals at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.  Apart from Sandeep Patil's century and Parker's 84 runs, youngsters Veng Sarkar and Ravi Shastri disappointed and were limited to 271 in their first innings.  Raghuram Bhatt, who has always been the leading left-arm spinner in Indian cricket, took 8 wickets for 123 runs, and Kannada's hopes of reaching the finals through an innings lead took flight.  In reply, Roger Binny opened the batting as Karnataka took a safe first-innings lead of 470 on the back of Sudhakar Rao's century and Brijesh Patel's 78.
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              With Karnataka assured of reaching the final on the strength of a first-innings lead as per tournament rules, the dominant Bombay's sole aim was to avoid the embarrassment of losing at the crease on day four.  Gavaskar, who came down in the batting order, gave Veng Sarkar a chance to open.  Bombay faced innings defeat as Karnataka's spin duo Raghuram Bhatt and Vijay Krishna returned the ball to a one-sided victory, despite Parker and Colonel standing out in the opening stanza.  The left-arm spin duo bowled 166 of the 201 overs that Bombay batted in the match.
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    Sunny, who came to the crease in the eighth over, had only one goal...to avoid the shame of losing an innings anyway.  Parker, Veng Sarkar and Suru Naik were all back in the pavilion, unable to deal with the balls of Raghuram Bhatt who pitched and turned ninety degrees to the wicket.  Gavaskar stood at the crease as a left-hander to face Raghuram Bhatt's balls.  He expertly pads the balls that hit his leg stump in the best belief that it will not be LBW.  When Vijay Krishna bowled, he reverted to his unique stunt.  Sunny later said that such a test was done to avoid a decisive defeat as Karnataka were certain of the final, and in that situation, as a right-hander, he had no chance against Raghu.  Moreover, left-handed batting was not as easy as it looked... perhaps if Bombay had any chance in the match, he would not have been too old for a test.  He has never been tested like this before or since at any level of cricket.

Anyway, Bombay declared the innings with a one run lead at 200/9.  The match ended in a draw.  Raghuram Bhatt took 8 wickets in the first innings and 5 in the second innings.  Karnataka, who reached the final, lost to Delhi in a high-scoring match after taking a 2-run lead in the first innings.

💕Happy Birthday Sunny Gavaskar🎂🌷