Please tell us about your century on Test debut (versus Australia in the second Test at Kanpur in 1969). He scored 13 more centuries in his Test career and none of them came in a match that was lost. I did want a short break from international cricket. (Abhishek Mukherjee is the Deputy Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. READ | Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal flounder in the wet vs South Africa. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve user experience. On the 1976 tour of New Zealand Vishy demonstrated his prowess on bad wickets. He played the game in its true spirit: a century had little value to him if it didnt contribute to the team cause and he disputed an umpires decision only In his debut game, he scored his first hundred. The name rang a bell. info) (born 12 February 1949) is a former Indian cricketer. The event wasnt all about going down memory lane, though. United Arab Emirates Vs Nepal ODI - 131st Match, Merchant mentioned my first innings failure to Tiger. In the second innings, we were 39 for 4 with a first innings deficit of 40 when I played that knock that saved my country and me embarrassment. Suddenly I felt sad, very sad. Viswanath might have never won the team a cup or a major series but he was the inspiration for a bunch of champion players. Namma Shivamogga, on the other hand, was led by Stuart Binny, and featured the exciting Shreyas Gopal. The team accomplished this task with centuries from both Sunil Gavaskar and Vishwanath. A right-handed batsman and a wristy stroke player, especially the late-cut, Vishwanath had the ability to play both spin and pace bowling with equal mastery and was crucial to many of Indias wins in the 1970s. In our second innings, we were set 403 to win and we achieved the target scoring 406 for 4. Daiviks cousin Rohan Gavaskar played One-Day Internationals, but he led Bengal, East Zone, and even India A. My innings ensured India did not lose the Test. Nutan is elder to Kavita. Nostalgia, good-old banter and anecdotes that you never tire of hearing were the theme of a pleasant Tuesday evening when former Indian cricketers belonging to different eras gathered to celebrate former India captain Gundappa Ranganath Viswanaths 70thbirthday at a city hotel. Andrew Strauss (England), I was following a match between Rockstars and Namma Shivamogga. Gundappa was a strict disciplinarian and was diligent while batting. Make a donation to support the Cricket Hall of Fame Programs. His brother-in-law was one he held in high esteem. Gundappa Viswanath was the original wristy artist in Indian cricket. But he won a legion of admirers for his batting feats during a 91-Test career (6080 runs, average 41.93, HS 222, 14x100, 35x50). While the Rohan part was Sunils homage to the iconic Rohan Kanhai, the legendary batsman paid tribute to ML Jaisimha and Viswanath as well. Unfortunately, the break proved to be a permanent one. A loss at Kolkata would have meant loss of the series. The end of The Ashes, played alongside two wonderful Test series in Sri Lanka, had left me on a high from which it was near-impossible to retreat once an inexplicably unfair chasm in the calendar happened. Vishwanaths influence can be seen with the kind of people he inspired and played with. I did have a poor tour of Pakistan in 1982-83, but so did many others. Namma Shivamogga won by 8 wickets, but it did not matter. Only South Africas Andrew Hudson and Pakistans Mohammad Wasim were able to repeated the feat since then. The. 5. Chris Woakes (England), Vishwanath is a former Indian Test and ODI cricketer who is regarded as amongst India's finest batsman. He was one of India 's finest batsmen throughout the 1970s. Wife & Children He met Sunil Gavaskar's younger sister Kavita Gavaskar for the first time during his visit to his former teammate's house. What was the low in Indian batting during your Test career? His sister Denise also played seven Womens Tests. In the disastrous tour to England in 1974, where India were whitewashed 3-0, he was the only Indian batsman who fared well, scoring a couple of half centuries.Vishys match-winning 97 against a powerful West Indies team, that included Andy Roberts in 1974-75, stands out. Over the years after retirement, Gundappa Viswanath also contributed in many ways. After a being dismissed for a duck in the first innings, Viswanath scored a century on his Test debut against Australia in Kanpur. While Gavaskar was the more acclaimed batsman of the two, Vishwanath was no less valuable to the team when it came to winning or saving matches. Gundappa Vishwanath had a penchant for playing on difficult pitches and had a knack for recovering India from difficult circumstances. His full name is Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath and he was born on 12th February, 1949 . . Vikram Rathour and Aashish Kapoor: Both Rathour and Kapoor did well in domestic cricket, but neither could make it big at the top level, playing a mere 10 Tests between them. But his contributions are often disregarded. (PA Images. The KPL appearance was his first serious cricket appearance in six years. He possessed strong wrists which he used to great effect in playing his favorite shot, the late cut which was more than pleasing to the eye. There was talk of dropping me. Viswanath often excelled on pitches others found difficult - witness his matchwinning 124 out of 255 on another fiery, bouncy Madras wicket against West Indies in 1978-79, and innings of 83 and 79 against New Zealand on a Christchurch greentop in 1975-76. The event to unveil the 266-page long book was graced by a glittering array of stars, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Saurav Ganguly and Roger Binny. The fact that he went onto score 137 runs after a first innings duck made the knock more special. One of the Greatest Batters from New Zealand. Gundappa Viswanath is a famous former Indian cricketer. Watch what the cop does in return, Harbhajan Singh defends Shubman Gill despite failure in second innings: 'He wanted to go for a six but', Mild 2.4 magnitude earthquake hit Uttrakhands Pauri Garhwal, Intestinal parasites: Signs and symptoms; foods you must eat to get rid of worms, Rehabilitation of ST communities living on fringes of forests: CM Bommai, Meghalaya's Conrad Sangma on results: NPP still short of numbers, will decide, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Neetu Kapoor feature in Anissa Malhotra's baby shower video. As he stepped out of the elevator, he appeared visibly surprised by the couple of dozen friends eagerly awaiting his presence. All Rights Reserved. Yes even today, when he is in town, Vishy plays. Here is a look at a master of his craft, Gundappa Viswanath. 19:00 IST | 13:30 GMT, 04 Jan, 2023 He played in One Day Internationals from 1974 to 1982, including the World Cups of 1975 and 1979. He is also the one to score a hundred on his domestic and international debut. 2022. New South Wales Vs Victoria First-class - 26th Matchh, Daivik had not even achieved that. All rights reserved |, We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and to show you non-personalized ads. He is also one of the most loved Indian cricketers known for his true sportsmanship and integrity. The way Gundappa Viswanath has, very few batsmen in world cricket have shown their wizardry with the willow. Here is an in-depth look at the unprecedented achievements of this master: Gundappa Viswanath started his career under the leadership of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. He brilliantly drove and cut Lillee and Pascoe and rescued a sinking ship, scoring 114 out of 237 on a tricky wicket. This book is an invaluable resource for readers who would like to know more about Vishwanath, who received the Padma Shri Award in 1971 and the Arjuna Award in 1977-78. The team drew one of the games and the other one resulted in a loss. Jim Troughton (England), Vishy also had a brief stint as the Indian captain in 197980. once, recalling Bob Taylor in the Golden Jubilee match against England in 1979-80. That day the wicket was alright, only the conditions were typically English, gloomy and with heavy atmosphere. Emerson never stood in a Test, but his 10-match One-Day International career is usually remembered for him no-balling Muttiah Muralitharan for chucking. Rathour went on to marry Kapoors sister. Please verify to complete the subscription. Ravi recalls his first test match as a dream come true for himself. It was a gathering that included three former India captains andas manyWorld Cup winners. He blogs at http://ovshake.blogspot.in and can be followed on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ovshake42), 02 Jan, 2023 It was against Bill Lawry's Australian team that Vishwanath made his debut in 1969 at Kanpur. Viswanath played Test cricket for India from 1969 to 1983 making 91 appearances and scoring over 6000 runs. This series proved to be Viswanath's last. Gavaskar was the first to greet him, and the rest followed suit. Judy, Stewarts sister, was married to Butcher, but the marriage ended in a divorce when Butcher was involved in an extra-marital relationship. When he did get a breather, he admitted it was all a pleasant surprise for him. In the second innings, despite my 74-run stand with Farokh Engineer (61), we slumped to 152 for 5. We had lost the first two Tests and there were three more to go. As a result of rainfall, the wicket was damp and the condition of the nets deteriorated. Had he not been the son of an illustrious father, Rohan may have remained away from public attention: instead, he ended up belonging to an unenviable group that also consists of WG Grace Jr, Victor Trumper Jr, Richard Hutton, Ron Headley, Chris Cowdrey, and Bazid Khan, among others. Parents & Siblings His father's name was Rangnath Viswanath. So I have not really considered him. On the other hand, had Baqa Jilani not insulted CK Nayudu, he may have ended his career by playing more just one Test. I top-scored with 52 in our first innings of 233. Gundappa Viswanath and His Team: He effectively captained India in a brief stint from 1979 to 1980. But Rohan still managed something. While Viswanath had formed the backbone of the Indian batting line-up in the 1970s, Binny and Kirmani were members of a World Cup-winning side. He was equally adept against pace and spin - Contact: Executive Director, Michael Chambers. Vishwanath played in the same era as Sunil Gavaskar. After I was selected, captain Tiger Pataudi made it clear to chairman of selectors Vijay Merchant that I had to be in the first eleven, and not be a reserve. His brother-in-law was one he held in high esteem. Cricketing legend G.R. While many felt that the former was technically peerless, some pointed to the latters contributions in matches won. There were very good partnerships too. Even though for almost his entire career, Viswanath was shadowed by Sunil Gavaskar, the Little Master has himself confessed that if there was any batsman whose batting had cast a spell on him it was only Gundappa Viswanath. 19:00 IST | 13:30 GMT, Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, 07 Jan, 2023 At the state level, he played for Karnataka throughout his career and scored 230 in the Ranji Trophy on his debut. In a quirk of fate, Viswanath Jr was playing alongside Kirmani Jr and Binny Jr. Their fathers had made Karnataka proud in my childhood. info) (born 12 February 1949) is a former Indian cricketer. Rosman Zakaria (Malaysia), ), Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot, 09 Jan, 2023 I had fared poorly in the first three and in the first innings in Kanpur. Gundappa Ranganath Viswanath is a former Indian cricketer and was one of India's finest batsmen throughout the 1970s. India reduced the 2-0 lead West Indies had. . At 192 for 6 in the second innings at Calcutta, India looked in danger of losing the Test and series, but he battled on with the lower order to score 139 and India reached 316 to set the West Indies an unattainable target. Gundappa Viswanath was one of India's greatest and most talented batsmen in their Test cricket history. Gundappa Vishwanath Vishwanath was India's premier Test batsman whose batting was considered to be artistic. 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