OTD | In 1983 Sunil Gavaskar scored his 30th Test century against West Indies, breaking the record set by Don Bradman

On this day (December 28) 41 years back in 1983, India and West Indies were taking on each other in the sixth and last Test of the six-match series. The day is also remembered as one of the unforgettable days in the history of Test cricket. 

Kapil Dev’s side was taking on the Caribbean men at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai; it was India’s batting great Sunil Gavaskar who stole the show on the December 28th and the fourth day of the Test. One of the all-time batting greats ever played for India, Gavaskar surpassed the former Aussie legend Sir Don Bradman’s record of 29 Test centuries, which stood for over three decades. 

Sunil Gavaskar played an iconic and unbeaten knock of 236 runs against the fierce pace attack of the tourists. He completed his 30th Test century on the fourth day and became the first-ever batter in the entire history of Test cricket to achieve the milestone of 30 centuries. Later on, the Indian stalwart went on to score 34 centuries, scoring more than 10,000 runs. 

‘Sunil Gavaskar’ heroics left West Indies frustrated in Chennai

Speaking of the action of the match, it ended up as a stretched draw owing to a tough time for the bowlers; the visitors’ skipper Clive Lloyd won the toss and decided to bat first; batting first, West Indies were bowled out at the score of 313 runs, including an only half-century scored by wicketkeeper-batter Jeff Dujon. 

Then came the Gavaskar heroics for  India that left the Caribbean bowling stalwarts frustrated and tired as he smashed a remarkable double century, alongside completing his record-breaking 30th Test century. Gavaskar was also adjudged ‘Player of the Match for his iconic knock. Eventually, India posted a huge total of 451 runs for the loss of 8 wickets before declaring the innings. 

As the hosts batted on most of the days of the game, it eventually ended as a draw and the tourists ended up winning the six-match series by a margin of 3-0. 

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