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Sunil Gavaskar turns 77 on July 10, 2026 and even as it is more than three decades of him hanging boots on his professional cricket, he finds himself among the list of most notable cricketers to have graced the game till date. Gavaskar entered the international arena in 1971, even before turning 22 and made an instant mark with a solid 65 and 67* on debut. However, this was just the beginning.
His Test career, as remarkable as it was, spanned for 16 years as Gavaskar went on to represent India in 125 Tests to amass 10,122 runs at an average of 51.12. This includes 34 Test centuries, the highest at one point when he had overtaken the legendary Sir Donald Bradman. He played against six opponents – West Indies, New Zealand, England, Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka – and has multiple centuries against each of them, a stat that’s hard to believe.
Meanwhile, here are the top three knocks played in Test cricket by Sunil Gavaskar
In one of the most intriguing drawn Tests, Sunil Gavaskar was the hero for his magnificent double hundred in the fourth innings against a fearsome English pace attack at the Oval in London. India were set a target of 438. While the target seemed extremely out of reach, Gavaskar took his guard with only one determination – to bat through and play for the win.
He opened alongside Chetan Chauhan and the duo steered a 213-run stand for the first wicket, which was followed by a 153 partnership alongside Dilip Vengsarkar. Gavaskar was the fourth wicket to fall as India needed just 49 more runs to win, however, other batters failed to score at pace, as India could manage only 429-8 before the umpires called it a day. His valiant 221, which included 21 boundaries, did not only get him a Player of the Match accolade but also the respect that only the braves do.
Gavaskar had made his Test debut at the Port of Spain and returned to the venue five years later during India’s tour of West Indies in 1976. This was the third Test of the series and India conceded a 141-run lead to the hosts to which they added 271/6d and handed the visitors a mammoth target of 403.
Again, the target seemed simply out of reach, but Gavaskar stood his guard in the fourth innings like he had mastered the art of scoring big when it mattered the most. His 102-run outing across 245 minutes of concentrated batting against a quality Windies attack set the perfect momentum for Mohinder Amarnath and Gundappa Viswanath. While Amarnath scored 85 fell short of a century, Viswanath, also Gavaskar’s brother-in-law, top-scored with 112. India chased down the target successfully.
While Gavaskar remained India’s designated opener for a majority part of his career, he often juggled across positions to demonstrate his adaptability and versatility across different conditions. India were once again facing the might of the West Indies, but this time at their home turf, on a bowler-friendly Chepauk deck. After West Indies made 313 in the first innings, their bowlers came in and attacked straightaway with India losing two without adding a run on the board.
Gavaskar, coming in to bat at number four, started his masterclass and navigated through the spread to compile runs for fun. It almost fell as if adversity brought the best out of Gavaskar as he helped India come out of the jaws of a submission to a position where they declared the innings with a lead of 138. Gavaskar’s 236 in this match also became his highest Test score, where he batted for roughly 645 minutes with little to no support from other end, showing his class.
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