Top 3 knocks by Sunil Gavaskar

India legend Sunil Gavaskar is celebrating his 74th birthday today. He served India for 16 years from 1971-87 and during this period, he achieved several batting feats. For the majority of his international career, he played in the team as an opening batter. In Tests, he is the first Indian batter to cross the 10000-run mark.

Till December 2005, he also held the record of scoring the most centuries (34 tons) in the longest format of the sport. In 1971, Gavaskar made his international debut during India’s tour of the West Indies. Playing his maiden series, he notched up 774 runs with four tons and three fifties in eight innings of four Tests.

With these numbers, he still holds the record of being the player to score the most runs in his debut Test series. In his extraordinary career, Gavaskar produced several knocks from his bat that are still recalled by followers of the sport.

Here are the top three knocks of Sunil Gavaskar:

3. 103* vs New Zealand in World Cup 1987

In the 1987 World Cup, Gavaskar played the best One-Day International (ODI) knock of his career. Playing the last group game in Nagpur, India thrashed New Zealand by nine wickets. Earlier, in the game, New Zealand skipper Jeff Crowe won the toss and elected to bat first.

Against India’s disciplined bowling, New Zealand batters lost nine wickets and ended their innings with a low total of 221 in 50 overs. Chetan Sharma played a crucial role with the ball in containing the Black Caps to a sub-par score, picking up 3/51 figures in his 10-over spell.

Following the target, Gavaskar came heavily on the Kiwi bowlers, along with his opening partner Kris Srikkanth. Gavaskar scored his maiden ODI ton and took India home comfortably in the 33rd over of the game. Gavaskar went back to the pavilion unbeaten with his score of 103 off just 88 deliveries. For his extraordinary knock, he also became the joint Player of the Match along with his teammate Chetan Sharma.