Former batter Gundappa Viswanath was playing only his second Test match when another former batter in Ashok Mankad had become the first Indian cricketer to score 97 runs in international cricket. Just over five years after Mankad’s match-winning knock against Australia in Delhi, Viswanath had become the second Indian cricketer to return with the same number of runs in a match-winning effort at the highest level.
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In Indian cricket’s 91-year old history, a total of 17 batters have scored 97 (out or not out) 23 times. India wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul, whose 97* (115) avoided an embarrassing defeat for India in their first match of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Chennai last night, registered the last instance of Indian batters’ tryst with an individual score of 97.
Although as many as 48 years apart, a major commonality between Viswanath and Rahul is that both the right-handed batters scored 97* at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Only the two Indian batters to have scored these many runs at this venue, Viswanath and Rahul are among a total of four batters to have missed out on a century by just three runs at the Chepauk.
Before KL Rahul, Gundappa Viswanath Had Contributed 97* In A Memorable Win
Viswanath, who represented India 116 times across formats between 1969-1983, has as many as 14 Test centuries to his name. However, it is one of his 35 half-centuries which he considers as his best innings in the format.
Roughly a month short of his 26th birthday, Viswanath had scored 97* in the the first innings of the fourth Test against West Indies in January 1975. Batting at No. 4 after the team lost its openers cheaply, the right-handed batter was the only Indian batter who scored more than 20 runs in a team innings total of 191 in 58.5 overs.
Facing the legendary Andy Roberts, it is no surprise as to why the man rates his innings so highly. In an interview with The Times Of India four months ago, Viswanath was reminiscent of a personal favourite innings in which he scored 80 out of the 114 runs which the team scored after the loss of six wickets. In fact, Viswanath had scored 51.05% of the total number of runs put together by India after captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi opted to bat first.
“Those days, Chepauk was the fastest pitch in the country. Andy Roberts was new to world cricket, yet had already made a big name for himself as a fast bowler. The track had a lot of bounce which you never get in India. Now I can say it was fun, but yes, it’s one of the best knocks I’ve played in my career.”
For the unversed, Viswanath’s knock had laid the groundwork for a 100-run Indian victory – only the third time when they had defeated West Indies in Test cricket. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, Viswanath’s brother-in-law who was part of 84 out of his 91 Tests, had termed the knock as the “finest Test match innings” that he saw in his book titled ‘Idols’ (1983).
“His 97 not out is the finest Test match innings I was privileged to see. That attack is the best form of defence was amply proved in this innings. Vishy’s strokes in that innings were unbelievable. His square-cutting meant that Clive Lloyd had to keep two fielders on the third man boundary, and the way Roberts was bowling that day, it is a tribute to the quality of batsmanship. The moment Roberts bowled on the leg side, Vishy flicked him past square-leg and past mid-wicket. And the moment there was an over-pitched delivery, he drove it through the covers with elegance.“
KL Rahul Bagged Player Of The Match Award In Chennai Last Night
Further bettering his ODI numbers at No. 5, Rahul never looked unsettled against the Australian bowlers on Sunday. Having hit eight fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 84.34, the 31-year old player missed out on a seventh ODI century but the noteworthiness of the situation was such that his innings will be remembered more fondly than any regular international century.
In what was his fourth Player of the Match award across 62 ODIs, Rahul bagged one after almost four years. With the score reading 2/3, Rahul shared a triumphant 165-run fourth-wicket partnership with former India captain Virat Kohli to seal a 200-run chase in the 42nd over.
Considering the number of runs he scored, fans immediately drew comparisons between Rahul and his Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir as he had also scored a historic 97 during ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. However, unlike Rahul, Gambhir hadn’t won a match award in the night of the final 12 years ago.
Speaking of 97, Gambhir and Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar have an unwanted distinction of having been bereft of individual centuries by three runs thrice to their names.
