Yashpal Sharma Birth Anniversary: A look at late cricketer's top batting performances for India

Former India cricketer Yashpal Sharma was considered one of the best middle-order batters during his era. The fearless mindset to tear apart opposition bowlers helped India win their maiden World Cup in 1983. From the very first match of the campaign, Sharma had earned the trust of the Indian fans.

After the decorated World Cup journey, the right-handed batter’s career took a downturn. His below-par performances in the next couple of series against Pakistan and West Indies made him lose his place in the Test squad. However, he continued to play ODIs and First-Class cricket.

During his six-year-long career for India, Sharma featured in 37 Tests and 42 ODIs in which he scored a total of 1,606 and 883 runs respectively. On 13 July 2021, he breathed his last.

On the occasion of his 68th birth anniversary, let’s take a look at five of his knocks:

100 vs Australia (1979): Sharma notched the maiden Test century of his career on home soil while playing against Australia at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium in 1979. India declared their first innings with 510 runs on the board. Apart from Sharma, Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath also breached the 100-run mark. However, the Test resulted in a draw.

89 vs West Indies (1983): Sharma smashed his highest ODI score in the first match of the 1983 World Cup against the mighty West Indies. His 120-ball 89 helped India make a concrete start to the campaign. Riding on the power-packed knock, India posted 262 runs on the board. In response, the West Indians fell 34 runs short of the target.

140 vs England (1982): It was the fifth Test of the six-match series against England in which Sharma registered his highest score in the purest format of the game. His 140-run knock along with Vishwanath’s 222 saved India from a collapse in the first innings as the match ended in a draw.

61 vs England (1983): While chasing down 214 runs in 60 overs against England in the 1983 World Cup, India were in trouble as the side was reeling at 50 for the loss of two wickets. Sharma’s bat shone again in the big game as he scored 61 runs, steering the side to confirm a berth in the final.

40 vs Australia (1983): It became a must-win situation for India when they faced Australia in the last group match of the 1983 World Cup. While the top-order fell like a pack of cards, Yashpal Sharma took on the responsibility and scored a much-needed run-a-ball 40 helping the side reach 247 runs. The top-notch performances from the bowlers helped them register a massive 118-run victory.

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