One of the all-time great batters in the history of Indian cricket, Gundappa Viswanath has turned 75 today. The batter enjoyed an illustrious international career of over 13 years from 1969 to 1983. After making his international debut in the Kanpur Test against Australia in 1969, Viswanath played 91 Tests and 25 ODIs before his last international appearance against Pakistan in the Karachi Test in 1983.
Viswanath scored 6080 Test runs and 439 ODI runs, hitting 14 Test centuries, 35 Test half-centuries, alongside 2 ODI half-centuries in his international career. With that said, here we’ll have a look at the top 5 Test innings of Gundappa Viswanath which he played throughout his career.
222 runs vs England, Chennai Test, 1982
India and England were locking horns with each other in the Chennai Test in 1982, it was also the highest individual score in the career of India’s one of the greatest batters in history. Viswanath scored 222 runs in the Chennai Test against England. He smashed 31 fours with the bat in this innings, which counted a big total of 124 runs scored only with the fours.
169* vs Australia (1979)
India and Australia were taking on each other in 1979; the Aussies had posted a big total of 333 runs, which was responded to brilliantly by India courtesy of Viswanath’s sensational batting performance following Dilip Vengsarkar’s century. Viswanathan went unbeaten at the end of India’s innings and played an unbeaten knock of 161 runs with the bat.
179 vs West Indies, Kanpur Test, 1979
India and West Indies were facing each other in the 6th and last Test of the six-match Test series. Both teams played this match at the Green Park in Kanpur. The match was played at a flat track which was considered a batter’s paradise. After winning the toss, India chose to bat first. Among three centuries in India’s innings, which made it to the headlines was Gundappa Viswanatha’s knock of 179 runs. However, the match ended in a draw but Viswanath’s knock is still remembered as one of the historic knocks.
145 vs Pakistan, Faisalabad Test, 1979
The arch-rivals India and Pakistan took on each other in the first Test of the three-match series at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad from October 16 to 21 1978. The hosts won the toss and decided to bat first and posted a mammoth total of 503 runs for the loss of 8 wickets before declaring the innings. Responding to Pakistan’s first innings, India’s great number 4 batter Gundappa Viswanath played a remarkable knock of 145 runs to help India post a total of 462 runs for the loss of 9 wickets before declaration.
139 vs West Indies, Kolkata Test, 1974
After trailing 0-2, India was taking on the mighty West Indies in an all-important third Test of the five-match series against at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It was a must-win clash for India to keep their hopes alive in the series. The hosts’ skipper MAK Pataudi won the toss and decided to bat first. India posted a massive target of 310 runs in the second innings for West Indies, scoring 316 runs courtesy of the great Gundappa Viswanath’s one-man show as he scored a 139-run knock, hitting 23 fours.