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Great Indian knocks - part 1 Wisden CricInfo staff - July 1, 2002
We bring to you, in chronological order, the 20 nominees for Indian Batting Performance of the Century. Nominees 1 to 10 are on this page. For nominees 11 to 20, click here. Bombay, December 17 and 18, 1933 India were playing only their second Test – their first at home – and were heading towards an innings defeat when Lala Amarnath strode to the crease in the second innings. Over the next couple of hours, he launched a dazzling counterattack, punishing anything even fractionally off line and length. He reached his century in under two hours, and was finally dismissed for a brilliant 118. England won the Test, but Amarnath's knock asserted that India would not be fazed by any team. Almanack match report
Old Trafford, July 27 and 28, 1936 India trailed by a massive 368 runs in the first innings when Mushtaq Ali went out to open the batting with Vijay Merchant. Over the next few hours, the crowd at Old Trafford was treated to some spectacular batting as Mushtaq repeated advanced down the track to fast bowler Gubby Allen, and pulled deliveries outside off to the leg side. By close of play, Mushtaq had made 106, as a record 588 had been scored in a day. He was finally dismissed for 112 the next day, after a first-wicket partnership of 203, but he had done enough to save the Test, and capture the imagination of the Englishmen. Almanack match report
Adelaide, January 27 and 28, 1948 Pitted against Bradman's Invincibles, the Indian team were up against it. Australia made 674 and India were struggling at 69 for 3 when Vijay Hazare walked in. Showing exemplary technique and courage, he ground out 116 out of a total of 381. He barely had time to put his feet up after this effort – following on, India were reduced to 0 for 2, and Hazare was out in the middle again. Wickets tumbled around him, but he held firm, making 145 out of India's 277. India lost, but Hazare's knocks won him encomiums from many, including Don Bradman, who called him a `great player'. Almanack match report
Bombay, February 8, 1949 Down 0-1 in the five-match series, India needed 361 runs in the last innings of the fifth Test to level the series. It was a tall order, and looked impossible when India lost both openers and captain Lala Amarnath for only 81 runs. Vijay Hazare came in, and immediately played with a calm assurance which must have relaxed the dressing-room nerves. He went on to score a masterful 122 as India closed at 355 for 8, just six short of victory. Almanack match report
Lord's, June 21 and 23, 1952 The Lord's Test in 1952 belonged to Vinoo Mankad. He wasn't in the Indian squad originally, but was called up from the Lancashire league to assist an Indian team terrorized by Fred Trueman. Mankad responded magnificently. Opening the batting, he made 72 out of India's 235. Then, he sent down 73 overs of left-arm spin, taking 5 for 196. But the best was still to come. In the second innings, Mankad made a glorious 184, standing up to the pace of Trueman and Alec Bedser, and the spin of Jim Laker and Roly Jenkins with consummate skill. It was the highest Test score by an Indian, till Polly Umrigar scored 223 against New Zealand four years later. Almanack match report
Port-of-Spain, April 7, 1962 It was a wretched tour of the West Indies – India lost all five Tests and Nari Contractor got a life-threatening blow on his head from Charlie Griffith – but Polly Umrigar's undefeated 172 in the second innings of the fourth Test went a long way in lifting the spirits in the dressing room. Taking inspiration from Salim Durani's 104 in the same innings, Umrigar went for his strokes, even against the extreme pace of Wesley Hall, who had terrorized the Indian batsmen throughout the series. It wasn't enough to save the match, but it made the Indians realize that the West Indian quicks could be handled. Almanack match report
Headingley, June 12 and 13, 1967 India's tour of England in 1967 was a dismal one. It was an unusually wet summer, and injuries to key players made it even worse. Amid the gloom, captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi provided the high point of the tour, scoring a splendid 148 in the second innings of the first Test at Headingley. India trailed by a massive 386 runs on first innings, but Pataudi's fighting knock restored Indian pride, even though England won the Test by six wickets. Almanack match report
Calcutta, December 29 and 31, 1974 Two-down in the five-match series, India needed an inspirational performance to get back in the series against West Indies. With Sunil Gavaskar out injured, the nation looked to Gundappa Viswanath. He didn't let them down. Against a pace attack spearheaded by Andy Roberts, Viswanath scored a classy 139 in the second innings, mixing solid defence with sublime strokeplay. The spinners then took over, giving India an 85-run win. It was the perfect new-year gift to all Indians. Almanack match report
Madras, January 11, 1975 One of the best sub-100 innings ever in Test cricket, this was the day when the diminutive Gundappa Viswanath took on the might of Andy Roberts, West Indies' pace spearhead, and won. India went into the Madras Test trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, and Roberts soon reduced them to 117 for 8. Coming in at No. 4, Viswanath launched into a counterattack even as wickets fell at the other end. Cutting and flicking the West Indian attack with power which belied that belied his 5'4" frame, Viswanath added 73 more runs with Bishan Bedi and BS Chandrasekhar to finish unbeaten on 97. That Mankad's 19 was the next highest score in India's total of 190 indicates the stature of Viswanath's knock. Wisden recognised the quality of this innings by ranking it 39th in its list of 100 best all-time innings – one of only two sub-century knocks to make the list. Almanack match report
The Oval, September 3 and 4, 1979 One of Test cricket's finest innings ever played in a fourth innings run-chase, Sunil Gavaskar's 221 was a masterclass in batsmanship. Chasing a target of 438 against England at The Oval in 1979, Gavaskar showed the way, putting together 213 for the first wicket with Chetan Chauhan, and another 153 for the second wicket with Dilip Vengsarkar. Gavaskar played a chanceless knock, showing impeccable concentration and a near-perfect judgment of line and length. It was a shame that India had to ultimately settle for a draw. Almanack match report Click here for the remaining 10 nominees for Indian Batting Performance of the Century. Compiled by S Rajesh.
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