Sunil Gavaskar turns 75: Here are Little Master’s top knocks of his international career
PTC News Desk: Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary former Indian captain and one of the best opening batters of all time, has turned 75. Gavaskar ruled the cricket pitch and crushed fast bowlers with his unbreakable defence and near-perfect technique.
The legendary batsman represented India in 125 Tests and 108 ODIs. He scored 10,122 runs in the longer format, including a career-best 236 not out. He scored a total of 34 centuries and 45 fifties. In the shorter version, the 'Little Master' scored 3,092 runs, with an unbeaten 103 as his highest.
Here are the top performances from Sunil Gavaskar's international career:
1) 236 not out
In the sixth and final match of the West Indies tour of India in Chennai in 1983, Gavaskar scored 236 - the most by an Indian hitter at the time - in 425 balls over 644 minutes. He batted at number four after India lost two wickets with no runs on the board.
2) 127 not out against Pakistan
Gavaskar hit an unbeaten 127 against Pakistan in 1983, becoming the first Indian to carry the bat in Tests as the rest of India's batters struggled against Imran Khan. His battle with Pakistan's greatest bowler was memorable, as the opening bat survived Imran's speed and precision. R. Mohan correctly described his knock in Faisalabad as 'emperor among the ruins'.
3) 113 in 1977
In yet another massive chase for India, this time against Australia, Gavaskar once again came through to keep his team motivated. He got his first Test century against Australia in Brisbane, leading the way for about 320 minutes. However, a lack of effective support from the other end kept India 17 runs from the finish line.
4) 102 against West Indies, 1976
Gavaskar's tendency to score large against the West Indies continued in Port of Spain, where he helped India easily chase down a 403-run mark. The great start started the chase with 102 runs on a pitch that became progressively slow and tough to score off. Gundappa Viswanath eventually hit an undefeated hundred to complete the chase.
5) 221 vs England, 1979
In what was then regarded as one of his finest performances, Gavaskar struck 221 runs in a record 438-run chase, which India just missed by nine runs but drew at the Oval. He initially shared a 213-run first-wicket stand with Chetan Chauhan (80), followed by 153 with Dilip Vengsarkar (52). His 490-minute marathon knock included 21 fours.
- PTC NEWS
