On this day former India legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar carved his name in the history book with a historic 30th test century to go past the great Sir Don Bradman. Gavaskar scored this century against a lethal West Indian bowling unit that had the likes of Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding. The legendary batter was struggling with form as he got dismissed for 0 and 7 in the first match of the test series at Kanpur but everything changed in Delhi.
The Mumbai Lads Stood Strong
After a crushing defeat at Kanpur, the Indian team was determined for a fightback in the second test at Delhi. Kapil Dev won the toss for India and asked his team to bat first. Team India’s opener Anshuman Gaekwad was dismissed very early but that was the start of a resolute partnership between two Mumbaikars, Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar. The duo negotiated the tricky initial spell from the West Indian fast bowlers and did not bow down to the pressure exerted by the opposition.
Gavaskar completed a historic ton and went past Don Bradman to become the leading century-maker in test cricket at that time. The right-handed opener scored 121 runs and showed why he was the best batter of his generation. The former Indian captain was complemented by Dilip Vengsarkar on the other end who also smashed a century to put India in a comfortable position. Courtesy of these two special knocks India scored 464 runs in the first innings to kickstart the fightback.
A Stalemate
The West Indies batting unit also displayed a compact batting effort and tried to reduce the gap as much as they could. In the first innings, West Indies scored 384 runs which included a grinding century from Clive Lloyd. The second inning was an even-steven affair between the two teams which took the match to a stalemate. The contest ended in a draw but it would be remembered forever for Sunil Gavaskar and his heroic ton that put him on a special pedestal in world cricket.