Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar remembered former Indian leg-spinner Subhash Gupte as a true gentleman at his book launch at the Queen's Park Oval, Port-of-Spain on Tuesday.
The deceased former Test leg-spinner who played 36 Test matches for India from 1951 to 1961, lived in Trinidad for many years and was married to a Trinidadian Carol Goberdhan and lived in San Fernando.
He took 149 wickets for India at an average of 29.55.
His daughter, Caroline wrote the book 'Love Without Boundaries' which is not a biography of his cricket career but a love story between himself and his wife that lasted 49 years.
Gavaskar remembered: "The first interaction I had with him was on my first tour to the West Indies in 1971, where he was our liaison officer in Trinidad. I was just a young player on the team and had not played for India yet when I came across him. He was a thorough gentleman and made us very comfortable. I heard so much about him and because I did not see him play, I always asked him to show me his action. I had heard a lot about his action and just how good it was. All that I tried, I could not get him to show me his action. It was not until we came back for the final Test here that one evening he took the ball in the nets and had me look on, while even at that age he mesmerised the batsmen.
"He was very sharp and also looked the part and it was a great pleasure in knowing him and learning of his contribution to cricket." Gavaskar in the company of Caroline then officially launched the book, that goes on local bookstores shelves immediately at a costs $100 each.
Caroline said the book reveals a 'love affair' between her parents as they met at a cricket ground and the rest is history. She said: "Although my dad was legendary he never allowed that to get to him. He was always very willing to help young cricketers, especially those from India. He was very particular in the way he carried himself and was fiercely protective of his family and his privary. He also took great care in the way he presented himself to the public and all this is outlined in this book. So this is not a cricket book per say but a book outlining a great love story."
