The Greatest Player of Every Decade

The 1970s:

Sunil Gavaskar was mentally resilient and technically superb

Sunil Gavaskar (IND)

The 1970s saw the Indian Test team take some large strides. Prior to the 1970s, India had never won consecutive series, yet after 1970, they won their first three.

India's improved fortunes were partly down to their exceptional spin duo of Bishan Bedi and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, but their greatest player during this time was their opening stalwart Sunil Gavaskar.

1971 was Gavaskar's first year in Test cricket, and Gavaskar made it quite clear from the off that he was perfectly at home facing the world's best. Gavaskar finished the year with 918 runs at 83.45. He had set expectations incredibly high for himself, although as the decade rolled on, Gavaskar would continue to fulfil and even surpass expectations, as he would thrice score over a thousand runs in a calendar year.

Over the course of the decade, Gavaskar comfortably outscored all his competitors, making 5647 runs at 55.91.

By the end of the decade, Gavaskar was also India's captain. In the 17 matches that Gavaskar captained in the 1970s, India didn't lose a single time.

It was little surprise that Gavaskar turned out to be a shrewd tactician, as his batting performances commonly showed a mental fortitude and an ability to read the game.

Despite having an array of shots in his arsenal, Gavaskar was selective about when he used them, putting a high price on his wicket. The three double-centuries Gavaskar scored in the 1970s are indicative of this.

While his average dipped slightly, Gavaskar would continue his fine performances into the 1980s, becoming the first player to pass 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He is now just one of 13 players to achieve this feat, but only one of two openers, the other being Alastair Cook.

Gavaskar, therefore, has a strong case to be seen as the greatest opening batsman in history, and an even stronger one to be considered the best player of the 1970s.