Happy Birthday Sunil Gavaskar: Remembering top innings by the Little Master

Sunil Gavaskar played numerous match-winning knocks and was the lone hero on many crucial occasions. During his decorated career which spanned over 16 years, the Little Master has achieved a plethora of records. After kickstarting his journey at the age of 21, he became one of the best Test openers.

Among his several feats, Gavaskar was the first batter to reach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket and took 124 Tests to achieve the feat. He became the third batter to smash a ton in both innings of a Test thrice in his career. He was also a prolific fielder and turned out to be the first Indian fielder to grab 100 catches in Test cricket.

During his 125 Test appearances, the right-handed batter recorded a total of 10,122 runs at an exceptional batting average of 51.12. He also featured in 108 One Day Internationals in the Indian outfit and has 3,092 runs to his name.

Today, on his 73rd birthday, let's look at the top batting performances of Sunil Gavaskar:

221 runs vs England at The Oval in 1979: This knock came from the Little Master’s willow in a Test at The Oval when India was on a chase of a daunting 438 runs in the fourth innings against England. Gavaskar smashed 221 off 443 balls including 21 boundaries but couldn’t bring victory to the side. India fell 9 runs short before the conclusion of the final day and the match ended in a draw.

236 runs vs West Indies at Chennai in 1983: With an unbeaten 236 runs against mighty West Indies on home soil, Gavaskar edged past Don Bradman to become Test’s most prolific century-maker. Coming in at no. 4, he smashed more than 50 percent of India’s total score and registered the 30th Test ton of his career.

103 runs vs New Zealand at Nagpur in 1987: It was the 1987 World Cup match when India had 222 runs to chase against New Zealand. In such a scenario, Gavaskar fetched a hundred scoring 103 runs in 88 deliveries. The match-winning show was laced with 10 fours and 3 sixes. India won the game by nine wickets and Gavaskar was named the player of the match.

220 runs vs West Indies at Port of Spain in 1971: In the final Test of his debut series, 21-year-old Gavaskar notched a century and a double century in two innings against West Indies. He contributed 220 runs to India’s second innings total of 427 runs. The match resulted in a draw and India bagged their first series win in West Indies.

113 runs vs Australia at Brisbane in 1977: While India needed 341 to win against Australia in the final innings in Brisbane, Gavaskar scored a magnificent 264-ball 113. He left the crease when India were trailing by less than 100 runs. However, the effort went in vain as India lost the match by 16 runs.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.