Sunil Gavaskar happened to be the first Indian sports star to endorse multiple brands and prove his commercial potential beyond the field. At 72, he still continues to be a trendsetter. On October 11, the former Indian captain-turned-commentator announced on his Instagram account a non-fungible tokens (NFTs) drop of the “Sunil Gavaskar collection”.
“I’m launching my Virtual Hall of Fame and the first ever NFT drop. The Sunil Gavaskar collection,” Gavaskar said.
Those interested in the collection have to sign up on alwaysfirst.io. Access to the main NFT Series begins by purchasing an NFT access ticket to the Gavaskar Virtual Hall of Fame. The theme ‘Always first’ is a contribution to Gavaskar’s pioneering feats in world cricket.
“I’ve been blessed to have always been first,” Gavaskar said in the Instagram post. “The first to get to 30 Test centuries, and then to get to 34 Test centuries, the first to get to 10,000 Test runs.”
The collection’s home page says, “The ‘Always First’ Official NFT Collection from Sunil Gavaskar pays significant attention to the many world firsts that he achieved during his career. These moments and highlights have been curated and digitised for fans and collectors across the globe to own forever as Non-Fungible Tokens.”
Gavaskar’s stature endures till date despite passage of time and the emergence of several modern superstars in Indian cricket. The cricketer, who led India to a memorable win in the 1985 World Championship of Cricket, is rated the greatest opener India has produced.
