OTD| Former India captain Gundappa Viswanath was born in 1949

Throughout the history of India’s Test cricket team, Gundappa Viswanath served as one of the team’s finest and most gifted batters. Viswanath was a smart, nimble right-hander who was also a handsome and aggressive stroke-maker. The former batter was born on 12th February 1949 in Bhadravathi.

He tortured some of the best bowling assaults in the world while making some unforgettable hits for India. Throughout his 91 Test matches for the nation, he amassed 6080 runs with an average of 41.93, with 14 centuries and 35 fifties.

The former Team India skipper performed one of the best Test innings against West Indies in 1976. In the third Test match of 1976 in Port of Spain in Trinidad, India had to chase 403 during the fourth innings after giving up a sizable first-inning advantage to the West Indies. 

In cricket history, no side in the world has ever chased down a score exceeding 400 in order to win the match. India faced overwhelming odds to defeat the West Indies, inside their own backyard. 

With 69 runs for the first wicket, Sunil Gavaskar and Anshuman Gaekwad provided the visitors a strong start. After that, Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath shared a hundred runs for the second wicket until the latter was removed after a brilliant 102 runs. 

Gundappa Viswanath entered the game, and he and Amarnath overcame Michael Holding’s formidable West Indian bowling assault to set up a winning partnership of 159 runs for the third wicket.

After a stunning 112 that featured 15 fours, Viswanath was eventually removed, but not before leading India to 336 and seemed on the cusp of a historic victory. After a resilient and stubborn 85 spent 440 minutes battling for the wicket, only 11 shy of the mark, Amarnath was additionally run out.

While Amarnath served as a rock at the opposite end, skillfully resisting and wearing out the West Indian attack, Viswanath was ambitious and struck several boundaries. In what is today regarded as one of the most significant pursuits in Test cricket history, India moved on to secure the victory by six wickets.