Its certainly tough to rate the best knocks by our blokes as there are so many parameters to be considered. Its really sad that in India, individual accomplishments are often put ahead of the team achievements.
Gavaskar’s exploits in the Carribean or even Vishwanath’s 97 against India dont figure here as I havent had the privilege to see them.
HERE WE GO
1. VVS Laxman 281 Vs Australia, Eden Gardens Kolkata 2001
Match Result : India won by 171 runs
I am dead sure that the events of March 14 will forever remain etched in the memories of the thousands who watched it at the Eden Gardens or the millions who watched it unfold on television.
What makes the knock even greater was the timing. Remember the Australians had trounced us in Mumbai, The Indians were following on in that match and Laxman was fighting for a place in the side.
Facing a huge deficit of 274 runs in the first innings, Laxman ably supported by Rahul Dravid (180) not only wiped out that 274 but made sure there were enough runs on the board for Harbhajan to weave his little web!.
The knock was a sheer delight to watch. Full of sweet cover drives, late cuts and flicks to the leg side boundary.
The knock totally eclipsed Dravid’s innings and people might not have realized it but Dravid matched Laxman all the way on that great day when they put on 325 runs.
No doubt the best of them all.
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2. Rahul Dravid 148 Vs England , Headingley Leeds 2002
Match Result : India won by an Innings and 46 runs
It’s rather sad that we tend to place explosive knocks ahead of the more effective ones.
What happened in this match can be described as follows.
The Indians batted through a tough first day, carted the English bowlers everywhere on the second and the third days thus giving the spinners enough time to bowl the English out twice!.
The greatness? : It was abroad !
This might have been a familiar story line on the dead Indian Pitches but the fact what Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Bangar (68) did on that first day was something totally out of the ordinary.
It was not great batting, but effective batting something the Indians never seem to understand. The ball was swinging around and the the conditions were overcast and cold and yet the two battled on in the middle.
The stage was thus set for a certain Mr. Sachin Tendulkar (193) and Sourav Ganguly(128) to carry on and put quick runs on the board. India then won the match due to the spinners especially Kumble guile on the fifth day thus levelling the series.
The same Sanjay Bangar who also took 2 very important wickets on the fourth day cant find a place in the Indian squad.
BOO YOU SELCTORS
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3. Sachin Tendulkar 136 Vs Pakistan , Chepauk Chennai 1997
Match Result : Pakistan won by 12 runs
First things First : The match confirmed my belief that the crowd in Chennai is far more sporting than the ones in the other Indian cities.
Having a packed house cheering the Pakistanis after they had won will never take place any where else in India. I dont have to remind you of what happened in Kolkata in the following test.
Watching the victory lap after delivering the knockout blow in a boxing match tears welled up in my eyes.
The tears would have been there for Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
Fighting terrible back pain, high levels of humidity and an inspired Saqlain Mushtaq, Sachin nearly pulled off what could have been one of the greatest victories of all time.
I will never understand how the ’experts’ at Wisden left out this innings from the 100 greatest centuries of all time.
Do they want us to believe the fact that a Bradman knock of around 200 against a hapless English attack would have been greater than this simply because his team won? ( I am not referring to his 270 at leeds).
Life is all about fighting the odds. There is no denying the fact India lost from a winning position but Tendulkar’s knock was something from another planet.
Trying to accelerate after reaching his hundred as he knew his back would not be able to take more punishment, Sachin holed out to Wasim Akram in the deep.
Saqlain Mushtaq then finished off the hapless Indian tail for a famous win.
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4. Rahul Dravid 148 Vs South Africa , Johannesburg 1997
Match result : Drawn
Its testimony to the greatness of Rahul Dravid that he has always contributed on the rare occasions India has pressed for a victory abroad.
Chasing the elusive first test century, Dravid’s knock cemented the fact that he was a batsman who had arrived on the international arena to stay.
More than the score it was the manner in which Dravid scored those runs. It was replete with Brilliant strokes of the backfoot on both sides of the wicket. Shots that Indian batsman find tough to execute.
Dravid’s knocks of 148 and 81 took India to the threshold of a rare victory on South African soil. However rain and Darryl Cullinan prevented kept Srinath and Co. at bay on the final day.
Srinath’s bravery however did take his toll as he damaged his shoulder and pulled out from the subsequent tour of the West Indies.
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5. Sachin Tendulkar 114 Vs Australia WACA Perth 1992
Match Result : Australia won by 300 runs
I will remember this innings for one simple personal reason.
It was around then that Star TV had arrived in India and though there was no live coverage they won one of the first battles against Doordarshan by showing the highlights package an hour earlier.
Only once did my late grandfather and I watch the highlights package first on Star and then on Doordarshan.
It has to be the greatest knock played by a teenager. On a fast and bouncy track and with the seniors members of the squad failing to show mettle, Tendulkar showed his class with a century that had the normally critical Australian media showering heaps of praise on him.
The Australian pace attack was strong and included the likes of Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Paul Reiffel, (WHO DARES WINS) Mike Whitney and Tom Moody.
Whitney ran through the Indian batting order with 7/27 in the second Innings ensuring that Australia won by a huge margin.