I Pass the Delhi Test
by Sunil Gavaskar
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Taken from Sunil Gavaskar's book Idols, this autobiographical extract recounts how the legendary batsman fought through low confidence and hostile crowds to equal Sir Don Bradman's record of 29 Test centuries during the Second Test against the West Indies in Delhi. On the eve of the match his second book Idols had just been released by Kapil Dev before Clive Lloyd, Michael Holding and Jeff Dujon, but an impromptu party in his hotel room robbed him of proper rest, while nasty, derisive taunts from the practice-ground crowd had shaken his form. The next morning, relaxed after his warm-up, he faced the fearsome fast bowler Malcolm Marshall on a seaming Delhi pitch, surviving terrifying bouncers that whistled past his face and brushed his cap. Refusing to look at the scoreboard or clock to keep his nerves calm, he played fluent, aggressive drives and was stunned when Dilip Vengsarkar ran up shouting, 'Bloody hell! It's your twenty-ninth!', he had reached his 29th Test century in just 94 balls, equalling Bradman's record and restoring his confidence and career.
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Sunil Gavaskar (b. 1949), one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history and the first to score 10,000 Test runs, is also a thoughtful writer. This extract from his book Idols describes how he overcame self-doubt, poor rest and a hostile crowd to equal Sir Don Bradman's record of 29 Test centuries.
Pre-match tension and a restless night
The extract opens on the eve of the Second Test against the West Indies in Delhi. Gavaskar's second book, Idols, had just been released by Kapil Dev in a formal ceremony attended by Clive Lloyd, Michael Holding and Jeff Dujon. Yet within hours of this happy event he could get no proper rest, for a group of his wife's friends dropped by his hotel room and turned it into an impromptu party that lasted until midnight.
His lack of rest was made worse by low confidence. During practice earlier that day some members of the crowd had passed derisive, nasty comments to mock his poor form. To stay calm and avoid getting upset, Gavaskar left the nets early and sat quietly in the dressing room.
Facing the fast bowling of Malcolm Marshall
The next morning Gavaskar woke early and, once his warm-up exercises were complete, arrived at the ground feeling relaxed and focused. The Delhi pitch was known to favour seam bowling initially, and he had to face the fearsome West Indian fast bowler Malcolm Marshall.
He survived early, terrifying bouncers: one delivery whistled past his face, and another brushed his hat and cap before flying through to wicketkeeper Jeff Dujon's gloves. Despite these close shaves he batted with absolute focus, deliberately refusing to look at the scoreboard or the clock, a habit that kept his nervous tension low and prevented hasty shots as he neared milestones.
Equalling Sir Don Bradman's record
Finding his rhythm, Gavaskar played a series of magnificent, fluent drives. He flicked a ball from Marshall past mid-on to the boundary, bringing up what he assumed was a score in the 80s. He was completely surprised when Dilip Vengsarkar ran up, shook his hand and shouted, 'Bloody hell! It's your twenty-ninth!'
He realised he had just scored his 29th Test century in only 94 balls, equalling Sir Don Bradman's legendary record. Gavaskar reflects that this quick, aggressive knock restored his confidence and gave a new lease of life to his cricketing career after a long period of self-doubt.