Top 11 Batsmen against pace bowling in the last four decades

Sunil Gavaskar

Questions have been raised in the past over the fact that Gavaskar’s best runs never came against the great quick bowlers of West Indies. While facts can be twisted the way you like, simple stats really vindicate the first man to reach 10000 runs in Test cricket. Gavaskar averaged 49.6 in 7 Tests against a West Indies team that had the three great West Indian fast bowlers – Holding, Marshall and Roberts.

While it can be argued that Gavaskar averaged 30 in 5 of these Tests played in West Indies that would be absolute nit-picking. Gavaskar is also miles ahead of anyone in terms of runs scored against West Indies in West Indies (1970 - 1995) – 1404 at 70 with 7 centuries.

Mohinder Amarnath is a distant second with 877 runs. Gavaskar also averages 51 in Australia against Australia having scored 920 runs, an average higher than those of Sir Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyd. He also averaged 56.45 against Pakistan pitted against the likes of Imran Khan.