Sunil Gavaskar (The Oval - 1979)
With a mammoth target of 438, hardly anyone gave India any chance of making a comeback against a strong England bowling attack. The visitors had already faltered in the first innings and in order to save the match, it was important to get a good start. Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan did not disappoint as the pair scored 213 runs for the opening wicket.
The dismissal of Chauhan didn’t disturb his partner Gavaskar, who stitched yet another big stand with Dilip Vengsrakar (153 runs) and the ‘Little Master’ also brought up his century in the process. However, wickets continued to tumble and Gavaskar too fell for a monumental 221 which consisted 21 fours. At the end of the day, India were just short of the target but it was a knock to remember for Sunil Gavaskar.
Dilip Vengsarkar (Headingley - 1986)
Vengsarkar holds a unique record of scoring a century at Lord’s in three consecutive Test appearances at the venue. With 960 runs in 23 innings, he has a tremendous record against England and there are a number of knocks that can make this list. But, the one in 1986 remains special because of its sheer impact on the game.
Vengsarkar scored 61 in the first innings to help India reach 272 and with England all out for 102, India had the chance to take a big lead. However, they were down to 35/4 and the onus was once again on Vengsarkar to steady the innings. He went on to score a brilliant 102 and with the bowlers dismissing England for 128 in the 2nd innings, India won the match comfortably.
Sachin Tendulkar (Old Trafford - 1990)
At the age of 17, Sachin Tendulkar scored his first century in international cricket and the world was introduced to a future superstar. Having scored 68 in the first innings, he was in tremendous form and with a target of 408 to win the Test, India needed the youngster to produce his magic once again in order to salvage a draw.
Sachin started the innings slow but the England bowlers were no match to his discipline as he remained unbeaten on 119 to save the game for India.David Lloyd, who was in commentary at that time, joked that Tendulkar deserved to win the first ‘Boy of the Match’ award for his performance.
Sourav Ganguly (Lord’s - 1996)
During the England tour of 1996, Navjot Singh Sidhu pulled out of the game citing ill-treatment by then captain Mohammad Azharuddin and the team decided to hand Sourav Ganguly his Test debut. It was a huge occasion for the youngster and he made the most of the opportunity by slamming a century at Lord’s against a strong England attack
Ganguly walked in at No.3 and within the first balls, made his intentions clear. Along with fellow debutant Rahul Dravid, he helped India reach 429 and in the process, announced his arrival at the international stage with a 131 that included 20 boundaries.
Rahul Dravid (Headingley - 2002)
It was a series to remember for Rahul Dravid as his three centuries in four encounters made him a star in the eyes of the Indian fans. In the third Test at Headingley, Dravid was forced to come out early after Virender Sehwag’s dismissal and the swinging conditions did not make life easy for the batsmen.
However, he showed his trademark resilience and after spending 429 minutes at the crease, he scored a brilliant 148 with 23 boundaries. Despite Sachin Tendulkar scoring 193 in the same game, Dravid was adjudged Man-of-the-Match after India won the match by an innings and 46 runs to level the series 1-1.
With a mammoth target of 438, hardly anyone gave India any chance of making a comeback against a strong England bowling attack. The visitors had already faltered in the first innings and in order to save the match, it was important to get a good start. Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan did not disappoint as the pair scored 213 runs for the opening wicket.
The dismissal of Chauhan didn’t disturb his partner Gavaskar, who stitched yet another big stand with Dilip Vengsrakar (153 runs) and the ‘Little Master’ also brought up his century in the process. However, wickets continued to tumble and Gavaskar too fell for a monumental 221 which consisted 21 fours. At the end of the day, India were just short of the target but it was a knock to remember for Sunil Gavaskar.
Dilip Vengsarkar (Headingley - 1986)
Vengsarkar holds a unique record of scoring a century at Lord’s in three consecutive Test appearances at the venue. With 960 runs in 23 innings, he has a tremendous record against England and there are a number of knocks that can make this list. But, the one in 1986 remains special because of its sheer impact on the game.
Vengsarkar scored 61 in the first innings to help India reach 272 and with England all out for 102, India had the chance to take a big lead. However, they were down to 35/4 and the onus was once again on Vengsarkar to steady the innings. He went on to score a brilliant 102 and with the bowlers dismissing England for 128 in the 2nd innings, India won the match comfortably.
Sachin Tendulkar (Old Trafford - 1990)
At the age of 17, Sachin Tendulkar scored his first century in international cricket and the world was introduced to a future superstar. Having scored 68 in the first innings, he was in tremendous form and with a target of 408 to win the Test, India needed the youngster to produce his magic once again in order to salvage a draw.
Sachin started the innings slow but the England bowlers were no match to his discipline as he remained unbeaten on 119 to save the game for India.David Lloyd, who was in commentary at that time, joked that Tendulkar deserved to win the first ‘Boy of the Match’ award for his performance.
Sourav Ganguly (Lord’s - 1996)
During the England tour of 1996, Navjot Singh Sidhu pulled out of the game citing ill-treatment by then captain Mohammad Azharuddin and the team decided to hand Sourav Ganguly his Test debut. It was a huge occasion for the youngster and he made the most of the opportunity by slamming a century at Lord’s against a strong England attack
Ganguly walked in at No.3 and within the first balls, made his intentions clear. Along with fellow debutant Rahul Dravid, he helped India reach 429 and in the process, announced his arrival at the international stage with a 131 that included 20 boundaries.
Rahul Dravid (Headingley - 2002)
It was a series to remember for Rahul Dravid as his three centuries in four encounters made him a star in the eyes of the Indian fans. In the third Test at Headingley, Dravid was forced to come out early after Virender Sehwag’s dismissal and the swinging conditions did not make life easy for the batsmen.
However, he showed his trademark resilience and after spending 429 minutes at the crease, he scored a brilliant 148 with 23 boundaries. Despite Sachin Tendulkar scoring 193 in the same game, Dravid was adjudged Man-of-the-Match after India won the match by an innings and 46 runs to level the series 1-1.
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