Their performance and the return of Sachin Tendulkar will have boosted the 'confidence-quotient' of the Indian players as they prepare for the Nagpur Test. Sourav Ganguly will be a delighted man, as he now has with him not one, but two Little Masters, both eager to bring their team back into the series. The other Little Master is the man who was requested by Ganguly to come on board for the series. In an ideal world, he would always have been a part of the dressing-room.

Not for nothing has Sunil Gavaskar, 'Consultant' of the Indian cricket team for this series, been labelled as 'Extraordinary' by those who have watched him during the course of his remarkable relationship with cricket, which began at the school-level in the early 60s and endures to this day. His record-breaking feats are too well known, as is his status as a role model for generations of cricketers in India and abroad, particularly those who were born in the early 70s and grew up in the 80s. Four members of India's batting line-up belong to this category - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and the captain himself. His contemporary Javed Miandad once described Gavaskar as a 'worm of cricket', and it was meant to be a compliment. What Miandad implied was that the man knew everything there was to be known about cricket, and more.

Whenever Gavaskar speaks, the world of cricket listens. The current generation of cricketers respects him, not for his feats on the field, but for his understanding of the modern game and the accompanying pressures. Cynicism, which is familiar territory for many of his contemporaries who love to harp on 'their time', has been an alien and unknown term for him. The views that he has expressed over the years from commentary boxes all over the world have been lapped up by cricket-lovers, as have been his writings on cricketing matters. 'Sunny Days', the first of his four books that was released nearly two decades ago, remains the ultimate yardstick used to evaluate all sporting autobiographies in the world's most cricket-mad region, the sub-continent.

Sadly, Gavaskar chose to keep away from the dressing-room after leaving it for the last time as a player. The bickering within the Board, and machinations of incompetent officials had a lot to do with it. Also, a job as a media-personality provided a lot more security. He had a brief fling with the dressing-room in April 1994, when Ajit Wadekar, the then coach of the Indian team, suffered a heart attack during the Austral-Asia Cup in Sharjah. Gavaskar, as always a key member of the TV commentary team, responded to his Board's plea and took over. He was with the team for about a week, watching them beat Australia in the semi-finals and then go down to Pakistan in the final.

Years later, this writer, who has had the opportunity to work in the Sports Management Firm headed by the legend, asked a senior journalist to name India's best cricket coach, since this post officially came into existence in 1990. The reply was prompt; "Sunil Gavaskar!" "But wasn't he with the team just for a week?", I asked. "I know", he said, "But it was different. I have never seen a more focussed Indian team."

In March 2001, I was witness to an interaction between Gavaskar and Tendulkar on the eve of the third and deciding Test against Australia at Chennai, right in the middle, or should we say, 'corner' of a function. Untroubled by the noise, confusion and flashbulbs that are an essential part of any cricket function in India, the two greats found a place to talk. Tendulkar, who had failed with the bat in the earlier Test, Laxman's game, at Kolkata, asked Gavaskar a few questions. Gavaskar used his hands to simulate a bat and backlift, and the meeting ended. A couple of days later, Tendulkar scored a match-winning 125.

Gavaskar's term ends when the series concludes, and this gives Tendulkar's teammates two more weeks in which they should make the most out of their proximity to one of the greatest cricketing personalities of all time. The technical aspects of the game apart, they would do well to imbibe some of the determination and single-mindedness that set this legend apart from the rest. In his playing days, Gavaskar achieved everything that he set his mind on achieving. If our current cricketers acquire this attribute, nothing can stop India from ruling the world of cricket.