Gavaskar crosses Bradman's mark with 30th century

HT's report on the day India's Little Master climbed on top of the Test hundreds ladder

- KNK Menon

MADRAS: The saga of Sunil Gavaskar reached its pinnacle of glory at the Chepauk ground on December 28, 1983. Playing an innings of Bradmanesque stature, the master batsman achieved his 30th hundred to emerge as the leading century-maker in the history of Test cricket.

Gavaskar had equalled Don Bradman's existing record of 29 centuries in the second Test of the current series against the West Indies in Delhi and then narrowly missed a hundred in the third Test at Ahmedabad. But, on the penultimate day of the sixth and final Test, he kept his date with destiny. It was an effort befitting the illustrious career that has so far spanned 99 Tests and which started with the Caribbean tour of 1971.

On a day when an hour's play was lost due to the wet conditions of the ground, a capacity crowd had turned up, perhaps anticipating the historic occasion. And Gavaskar, in his characteristic manner, did not go back on the promise which he had made on the eve of the match. The spectators cheered when he slowly moved through the nineties. And when Gavaskar turned paceman Davis to square-leg to take a single and achieve the magic figure, the Chidambaram stadium erupted with joy and ecstasy.