Sportskeeda's Top 50 Indian Test cricketers of all-time (10-1)

#2 Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar's compact technique and unparalleled temperament made him an immovable opener

Even as countless passionate cricket aficionados go gaga over the current dominance extended by Virat Kohli's top ranked team, not many would know that retrospective ICC rankings rated India as the number one Test side for 15 months in the early 1970s. In the entire decade, a certain Sunil Manohar Gavaskar led the batting charts with a massive tally of 5647 runs at an average of 55.91 including as many as 22 centuries. Among all players with at least 4000 runs in the 1970s, no batsman came close to his batting average or number of centuries.

Armed with seemingly impenetrable defence and unshakeable powers of concentration, the physically diminutive Gavaskar stood tall by blunting the fastest as well as most menacing of bowlers. Admittedly, his batting record against the West Indies was bolstered significantly by a remarkable debut series in 1971 when a slew of spinners and medium pacers formed the bowling attack. However, the respect and admiration that the fearsome Caribbean pace quartet had for the man was evident when they stood up uniformly and hailed him as the 'Master' during a private ceremony.

In the English summer of 1979, Gavaskar's marathon 443-ball 221 helped India come within touching distance of a massive fourth-innings pursuit of 438 against a world-class bowling lineup containing the likes of Bob Willis, Ian Botham and Mike Hendrick. When the exalted right-hander sauntered towards the stage to receive the Player of the Match award, the enchanted audience at The Oval all rose up in unison to acknowledge his greatness. Seldom had an Indian cricketer won over the opposition crowd away from the comforts of home.

Career Span: 1971-1987

Statistics: 10,122 runs from 125 matches at an average of 51.12 with 34 centuries and 45 fifties