In 91 Test Matches, he averaged 42 (6080 runs).
Away average was 36.
Averaged 50 in matches won (20). 53 in matches won abroad (6). Making him the biggest Indian match-winning batsman of his time.
Won 1 MoM award in a match India won (2 in all). But more than half his career was spent in a pre-MoM award era. Would have easily got 4-5 more.
Made 14 centuries; his last Test hundred was his highest Test score - 222 vs England. Interestingly, India never lost a Test where Viswanath scored a century.
The only batsman besides Dravid on this list whose top 5 performances are in match-winning efforts.
Averaged 50 in matches won (20). 53 in matches won abroad (6). Making him the biggest Indian match-winning batsman of his time.
Won 1 MoM award in a match India won (2 in all). But more than half his career was spent in a pre-MoM award era. Would have easily got 4-5 more.
Made 14 centuries; his last Test hundred was his highest Test score - 222 vs England. Interestingly, India never lost a Test where Viswanath scored a century.
The only batsman besides Dravid on this list whose top 5 performances are in match-winning efforts.
It is interesting how one of the most evenly tempered cricketers harmonised so many extremes on the cricket field. He began his career with 0 and 137. Widely acknowledged to be India's most talented batsman of his generation, he had a mediocre overseas average of 36. He played for an Indian team not known for winning too many Tests, but was the biggest match-winning batsmen amidst them. Despite being by far the most aesthetic player of his generation and always appearing to play for entertainment (his and the spectators'), he was still the one most likely to deliver during a crisis. Averaged 54 against West Indies - the strongest team of his time, but just 39 against New Zealand - relatively the weakest. He was very comfortable on the back foot off the fastest bowlers (famous for his horizontal bat shots, especially the perfectly placed late cut) and equally adept at neutralising the spinner's length with his nifty footwork. Led India in just two Tests, but took perhaps the most memorable decision by an Indian captain - recalling Bob Taylor when he was given out by the umpire - the only time Viswanath ever questioned an umpire's decision. He was adventurous and supremely stylish with the bat in his hand, non-controversial and affable without it, even on the field. They don't make them like him anymore.
97* and 46 vs West Indies, Madras 1975.
| 1-2 down in the Test series, India needed to bat well in the first innings. In the absence of Gavaskar (due to injury), there was added responsibility on Viswanath. When he came out to bat at 24-2, things looked ominous. Andy Roberts and Julien were looking lethal on a pitch that offered them assistance. Wickets kept falling - at 30, 41, 74, 76 - it looked hopeless, except for the way Viswanath was counter-attacking from the other end. His exquisite square-cutting resulted in two fielders at third-man. Anything on the leg side would be flicked and anything | remotely over-pitched was cover-driven delightfully. Two different grades of cricket seemed to be on view at both ends. Viswanath single-handedly took the score to 190 and remained undefeated on 97 - made in less than four hours, with 14 memorable boundaries (the next highest score was 19). His performance lifted the team, and they came back to dismiss West Indies for 192 (the three master spinners sharing almost all the wickets). The Indians started well in the second outing but then lost their way again. From 40-0 they crashed to 85-5, | the West Indian quicks looking deadly again. From here on, once again, it was Viswanath who steadied the innings, this time with Gaekwad, who played the best innings of his career. They added 93 before Viswanath nicked one to the keeper - to round up a more sedate innings this time - 46 in almost 4 hours, with 5 boundaries. Following that, Gaekwad went on to make 80; India reached 256, and dismissed West Indies for just 154 - the three spinners causing havoc amongst the West Indian batsman. |
52 and 139 vs West Indies, Calcutta 1974.
| In just the match before the one above, India was 0-2 behind (the last one had been a humiliating innings defeat), without Gavaskar, and on course to lose the series at the half-way stage. But from 23-2 when Viswanath came out to bat, to 94-4 even when the Indian captain Pataudi was dismissed, to 169 when Viswanath's innings of | 52 was terminated, to the 233 they finally ended at, a stomach for a scrap seemed to have returned in the Indians. Madan Lal got 4-22 as West Indies were then dismissed for 240. Viswanath walked out again at 42-2, the match in the balance. With Engineer (61) he steadied the innings, and then took charge himself to take | the match beyond the West Indies. With 23 boundaries in about 6 hours he made 139, and a 91 run partnership with Ghavri (27) buoyed India to 316. Bedi-Chandrasekhar-Prasanna took control in the fourth innings and dismissed West Indies for 224. India won by 85 runs. |
112 vs West Indies, Port-of-Spain 1976.
| India had been set an impossible 403 for victory. Gavaskar and Amarnath had stabilised the innings and a draw seemed possible. Viswanath walked out at 177-2 when Gavaskar was dismissed, and perhaps had other things on his mind. Mohinder Amarnath had dropped anchor and refused to get out, but didn't seem very interested in scoring either. After all, they were trying to save the match. But after | some consolidating and playing himself in, Viswanath decided to change the script. West Indies had taken the new ball and Holding charged in, looking to get that one breakthrough to crack open their chances. Twice, Viswanath stood on his toes and square cut to the point boundary. It took the wind off Holding and he was not the same bowler after that in the match, which went some way towards India's successful | world-record chase. Viswanath opened up after that and piled on the runs effortlessly. As India motored on towards the target, he was run out at 336 (for 112 in just three and a half hours, with 15 boundaries) but his initiative towards victory had charged up the next man - Brijesh Patel, who produced a quickfire 49 to take India to a classic triumph. |
114 vs Australia, Melbourne 1981.
| 0-1 down in the series and in the last Test, things didn't look good at 22-2 when Viswanath walked in to bat. Lillee and Pascoe were smoking and the end seemed nigh. At 91-4 and 115-6, it actually looked like it had arrived. But Viswanath was still there and this was a serious crisis (which always brought out his best) - the Australians knew the innings may be far from over. And | so it proved to be. Viswanath added 51 with Kirmani (who made 25 - the second highest score in the innings), then 26 with Ghavri (who made precisely 0), then 40 with Yadav - before he was 9th out at 230 (for 114 off 222 balls with 11 fours). India managed 7 more, but Viswanath's extraordinary one-man show had inspired the team once again. Its manifestation had to | wait till the second innings though, when after being 182 behind, Gavaskar and Chauhan put on 165 for the first wicket, the team managed 324, and then dismissed the Australians on a wearing pitch for 83 (Kapil Dev 5-23, though not fully fit) to win by 59 runs. For the first time in their cricket history, India had not lost a series in Australia. |
124 and 31 vs West Indies, Madras 1979.
| There had been 3 high scoring drawn affairs in this 6-Test series, which was damaging for the game. As it is, international interest in the series was low because the first string West Indian players were all missing thanks to the Kerry Packer show. So, for the fourth Test, a "result" pitch was prepared. Only hitch - it suited the West Indians much more than the Indians. Fast and bouncy, in any case India was one bowler short for these conditions. Also, this was the first time in 12 years that one of the big 3 spinners wasn't playing for India. West Indies batted and thanks to skipper Kallicharan's superb | 98 managed to put up 228. India was 11-2 when Viswanath walked in. Clarke, Philip and Holder were more than a handful in these conditions but their fielders let them down with 3 dropped catches. Gaekwad and Kirmani got 24 and 33, but it was Viswanath who held the innings together - counter-attacking and stabilising in the same motion. He was last out at 255 for a brilliant 124 in almost 6 hours of batting, with 17 fours. West Indies was then knocked over for 151 (despite a top-class innings from Larry Gomes of 91 - who would make the first-strength side later). India was 17-3 in a tension-fraught chase of 125. | The ball was whizzing around. Viswanath stabilised the innings again with 31 but was out at 74. Soon, India was 84 for 6, with 41 runs seeming like a mountain to climb. In walked Kapil Dev, with a high fever but the freedom to attack. Out went the ball several times, as the West Indians bowled too short and Kapil slammed 26 in no time. India won by 3 wickets, and this would be the only result Test of the series. This match is a great example of how favourable pitch conditions can make even lower rated international bowlers major threats. |
HONOURABLE MENTION:
83 and 79 vs New Zealand, Christchurch 1976.
| 1-0 up in the series, unfamiliar for an Indian touring team. But in the second match, New Zealand had decided to play more to their strengths, and prepared a green-top wicket to suit their seamers. At 98-4, the balance seems to have shifted, but Viswanath steadied the innings with Amarnath (45). They put on 98 valuable runs and right through the partnership, Viswanath gave a remarkable exhibition of shot selection and judgement. When the ball was in line with the stumps, he just shouldered arms and the ball would invariably | go over the stumps. The good length balls on the off were left alone to go innocuously past the off-stump. When it was pitched up, he drove flawlessly, when short, he cut it immaculately. It was remarkable judgement from someone who never got these conditions to practise in his part of the world - just purely instinctive superior skill. He had to draw out more in the second innings as the Indian spinners were rendered ineffective on this pitch (Madan Lal and Amarnath got 9 wickets between them for | almost 200 runs) and New Zealand got a lead of 133. But Gavaskar with 71 stabilised the top order this time, and Viswanath took care of the rest. His 79 in almost 3 hours saved India and kept the lead intact. But not for long, as the seaming pitch in the next match, coupled with the weather conditions and the emergence of a certain Richard Hadlee (11-58 in the next match) led to a crashing innings defeat for India and a drawn series. |
