3 splendid batting efforts that changed the course of Indian cricket

Indian batting has evolved over the period of 60 to 70 years. From Lala Amarnath to Sunil Gavaskar and from Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli, the evolution in batting has been nothing short of great. There have been numerous instances of splendid batting performances by the Indian batsmen which have won the hearts of cricket fans and experts around the world.

There are more than 10 such innings which changed the course of India batting and the psyche of the players. After due-diligence and weighing on various parameters like concentration, circumstances and conditions, three such innings have been filtered out.

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#3. Sunil Gavaskar's 221 against England at The Oval in 1979

SUNIL GAVASKAR AGAINST ENGLAND

This was one of the best displays of batting by any batsmen in the English conditions. India were chasing a target of 438 against England in the fourth Test match.

Gavaskar walked in with Chetan Chauhan and put up an opening partnership of 213 runs before the latter was dismissed by Bob Willis. Ian Botham, Bob Willis and Mike Hendrick were swinging and seaming the ball on either side of the wicket.

Gavaskar again put up a century partnership with the No. 3 Dilip Vengsarkar. Vengasarkar departed when India were comfortably placed at 366.

Gavaskar played his straight-drives, square-cuts and flicks with aplomb. He looked in complete control and steered India's innings to 389 before he was caught-and-bowled by Botham at 389. He had scored 221 runs in 490 minutes with 21 boundaries. The Little Master was given a standing ovation by the English team when he departed.

The match was drawn with India finishing the fifth day at 429/8. This was the second time that India were chasing a target of 400+ runs and came very close to winning the match. This inning instilled the confidence in the Indian batsmen that they had the capability and skill to bat anywhere and under any conditions.

#2. Kapil Dev's 175 not out against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup

Kapil Dev India 175 not out V Zimbabwe 1983 Cricket World Cup

India chose to bat against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup match. The top order consisting of players like Sunil Gavaskar, K Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath and Sandeep Patil were dismissed early with the scoreboard reading 17/5.

Kapil Dev walked in his usual nonchalant style and took the crease. Along with Roger Binny, he took the score to 77 when Binny fell to John Traicos. Dev batted cautiously and took no risk all along. Ravi Shastri joined him, but he also got out soon.

India were in a troublesome situation at 78/7. At this juncture, Madan Lal joined hands with Kapil Dev and bailed India out of the trouble. Kapil Dev got into an aggressive mode and started hitting the bowlers all around the stadium. The pair took the score to 140 when Lal fell to Kevin Curran.

Syed Kirmani joined Kapil giving sufficient strike to his captain. He continued with his assault, taking India to a respectable total of 266/8 in 60 overs. Dev remained unbeaten on 175 off 138 balls which comprised 16 boundaries and six maximums.

India bowled out Zimbabwe for 235 and won the match. Subsequently, they won the 1983 World Cup also. This inning of Dev taught the Indian players about grit and determination. It inculcated a never-say-die attitude which became the backbone of Indian batting in the 1990s and afterwards.

#1. VVS Laxman's 281 against Australia at Kolkata in 2001

Second Test - Day Five: India v Australia

In the second Test of the series against India in early 2001, Australia scored 445 in the first innings the match. India were bowled out for 171 in their first innings. No batsmen apart from VVS Laxman managed to put up a fight.

India were asked to follow-on. The openers Shiv Sunder Das and Sadagoppan Ramesh gave a good start but got out at 39 and 30 respectively. Tendulkar also departed after scoring 10 runs. Laxman and Sourav Ganguly steered the Indian innings and took the score to 232 when the Indian captain had to depart.

Laxman was joined by Rahul Dravid and the pair stitched together one of the most famous partnerships in the history of cricket. They played proper cricketing shots with perfect technique and temperament.

The Australian attack was led by Glen McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne. There was a lot of sledging by Australian players, but Laxman batted with all grace and humility. He got out when the scoreboard read 608/5. He made 281 runs in 452 balls which included 44 boundaries. Dravid too played a magnificent innings of 180 runs. It was a marathon effort by both of them.

Laxman got a standing ovation by everyone, including the opposition. India won the match by 171 runs. This innings sowed the seeds of belief, character and conviction within the Indian team. Since then, the Indian team has grown from strength to strength.