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Gundappa Viswanath, a tiny man who was even shorter than his
brother-in-law Sunny Gavaskar, was the first great Indian batsman of the
professional era, making his debut against Bill Lawry's Australians in
1969-70 and providing the backbone of the Indian innings throughout the
1970s. In 1981-82 he scored 222 against England in Madras, he and
Yashpal Sharma batting through an entire day without a wicket falling.
Viswanath made 137 on his debut at Kanpur after being out for 0 in the
first innings. He scored two other half-centuries in the series. He made
50 at Georgetown on a 1970-71 tour of West Indies and 68 at Lord's in
1971. In the last Test at Bombay's Brabourne Stadium against England in
1972-73 he made 113.
He made two 50s in England in 1974, then 52 and 139
in the third Test against West Indies in Calcutta in 1974-75. In that
series he made 97 not out and 46 in Madras and 95 in Bombay in the first
Test match at the Wankhede stadium. In West Indies in 1975-76 he made
41 and 112 at Trinidad, but in Sabina Park Michael Holding broke his
finger and bowled him with the same ball. He made 145 against Pakistan
in Faisalabad in 1978-79 and 124 and 179 against West Indies in the same
season. At Lord's in 1979 he made 134, followed by 161 not out against
Australia in Bangalore and 131 in New Delhi. In Melbourne in 1980-81 he
made 114. He captained India twice, once against Pakistan and against
England in India's Jubilee Test in Bombay. In the 1975 World Cup he
scored 75 against West Indies at Edgbaston. (Bob Harragan)
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