Forty-three years ago today, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar In Bengaluru, he started a Test innings that went down in history, playing 708 minutes, which was equivalent to 11.8 grueling hours, and scored 172 runs at the crease.
The batting against England in the second Test of the 1981 series was the longest first-class innings by an Indian batsman at that time. Interestingly, this broke Gavaskar’s record of 166 runs in 593 minutes against Pakistan set a year ago.
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In response to England’s all-out 400, captain Gavaskar’s century took India to 428 for a slim 28-run lead in the Test, which, understandably, ended up in a draw.
After England scored 174-3 in the second innings on the last day, the players shook hands and made peace because there was no result. Including his batting and fielding time, Gavaskar ended up being on the field for all but four balls of the game.
Gavaskar ended his storied career after 125 Tests, scoring a then world record 10,122 runs in 214 innings at an average of 51.12, including another then world record 3400 runs. He also scored 45 half-centuries.
He was also part of Kapil Dev’s team that won the 1983 ODI World Cup.
