Top 10 batsmen against spin bowling in the last four decades

#5 – Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar’s parting knock in Bangalore was a fine demonstration of technical mastery

Without a doubt, the biggest benefit for an Indian batsman in having an early 70s debut was getting to face that spin quartet, day in and day out during practice sessions. And when you were someone as driven as Sunil Gavaskar, success became inevitable.

‘Sunny’ made hay irrespective of whether the sun shone or not, largely due to his unshakable faith in the sport’s textbook. Be it employing the sweep or driving through the covers, he could do everything with finesse.

The unique record of posting at least one 200-plus score in all four innings has only been achieved by him. Aside from decoding the deadly Derek Underwood both home and away, Gavaskar also showed how to bat on an absolute minefield in his final Test innings at Bangalore.