Top 3 knocks by Sunil Gavaskar

2. 220 vs West Indies in 1971

In the 1970s, clinching a Test series against the West Indies wasn’t an ordinary achievement for any team. The Indian team toured the Caribbean islands to take on the Garry Sobers-led West Indies in 1971 and returned successfully, winning the five-match Test series by a 1-0 margin under Ajit Wadekar’s captaincy. 

Following a seven-wicket win in the second Test at Port of Spain, it was essential for India to be at their best in the next three games. In the fifth Test at Port of Spain, India and the West Indies faced each other again. India skipper Ajit Wadekar won the toss and elected to bat first.

In the first innings, India posted 360 runs on the board, riding on Gavaskar’s sensational innings of 124, Dilip Sardesai’s 75, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan’s 51. In reply to India's total, the Caribbean side scored 526. The Windies skipper Sobers stepped up in the important game and scored 132 runs.

After the Windies team’s strong response, India were required to showcase character to win the game. Gavaskar, who scored a century in the first innings, took the Windies’ bowling unit to the cleaners again. This time, he played an exceptional knock of 220 runs. In the end, the match concluded in a stalemate and India succeeded in registering their first Test series win on the Caribbean soil.