It really is hard to choose the best ten innings by Indian Batsmen- the reason is simple, comparing different innings played in different conditions under different circumstances against varying attacks is as good as comparing a car and a two- wheeler(Did that make sense?;-))
However to make any sort of a comparison it is essential to set forth the basis of that comparison for it to make sense to any reader.
The basis of comparison in this case:-
1) The impact of the innings on the match
2) The conditions and the opposition
A few of the innings I will be writing about are innings I never really saw myself. However the amount I have read and heard about them make it impossibel to disqualify them from the list of greatest ever innings by Indian players.
1) Vinoo Mankad at Lords in 1952- Not being selected for the series and being brought back only when India lost the first test didnt break Mankad’s spirit. He was back at Lords and performed just like a truly great player would. The innings I am talking about in this case is the second innings effort of 184 where he tore into bowlers like Bedser, Trueman and Laker. This was a time when Trueman was at his fastest but Vinoo stood upto him and played him with confidence and agression. While I should only talk about this particular innings I will have to mention the fact that Mankad also scored 72 in the first innings- thus making him the highest scorer in each innings, and to top it off picked up 5 wickets in the English first innings. Despite all this India lost by 8 wickets but gained a lot of admiration and respect from all and sundry.
2) Sandip Patil’s 174 against Australia in Australia- Coming back after being struck on the head by Lennie Pascoe, Patil came back in style. Patil was one of the few Indian players who was really good off the back foot. His innings on the 1980 trip just confirmed that. Taking the Aussie pacemen on he blasted the attack taking revenge for blow Pascoe struck him previously.
3)Sachin Tendulkar at Perth in 1991-92- Tendulkar came to Australia with a growing reputation. The Aussies have always had this knack of blowing reputations top smithereens and so the battle of Sachin vs the Aussies was well awaited. The knowck Sachin played at Perth actually stamped his name as the new king in town. The Australian attack had bowlers of the calibre of Mcdermott and Hughes in their line up and on a hard and bouncing track like the one at Perth, things seemed tailor made for an Indian rout. And that was exactly what happened save for the Sachin circus which made its presence felt for a long while in the centre. Sachin seemed to be the ringmaster and orchestrated the other acts in the game as he steadily demolished the attack. His 114 was the stuff dreams were made of as he stood tall and cut and pulled the bowlers with arrogance. I chose this innings of Sachin because it was after this that the world really stood up and recognised the genius of the boy who had suddenly turned man.
4) VVS Laxman at Eden Gardens- No one who saw Laxman’s knock at the Eden will ever forget it. The sheer brilliance and grace of the lanky batsmen from Hyderabad swung not just this match around but also the series. India was following on and were nearly down and out when Sachin was dismissed cheaply in the second innings. But Laxman who was brilliantly supported by Dravid led the fighback. They batted out the entire 4th day to put the Indians in a position of strength from where they went on to win the test. Laxman demoralised the Australians with that knock of 281 and set up this famous win for the Indian tem.
5)Azhar’s Blitz against England at Eden- When the English team came down to India in the early 90’s under Graham Gooch there were hopes that the English could take this series and stage a revival in world cricket for themselves. The indfian team was not having a great time of late but were known to be a tough team at home to beat. However Azhar, the Indian Skipper, was under a lot of pressure to perform. His batting was believed to be slipping because of th captaincy. It was time for Azhar to prove to the world, and more importantly to the selectors, that he could handle both. And did he just do that. In a 192 ball 182 Azhar silenced his critics in the best way possible. His wristwork was enchanting to watch and his cover drives just kept flowing. The english attack which was led by bowlers like Defreitas and Lewis had no answer to Azhars Blitzkrieg. His innings won India the opening salvo and also displayed the difference in terms of talent between the teams. His knock went a long way in India’s winning the series 3-0.