Gundappa Viswanath was the wristy middle-order batter whose late cuts and square drives gave Indian cricket some of its most graceful innings of the 1970s. He scored 6,080 runs in 91 Tests, and his hundreds carried a rare record with them: India never lost a Test in which Viswanath made a century. Team-mates and opponents alike still talk about the way he played fast bowling, a small man who used the pace of the ball rather than fighting it.
Name: Gundappa Ranganath Viswanath | Born: 12 February 1949, Bhadravathi, Mysore State | Sport: Cricket | Position: Right-handed middle-order batter
From Bhadravathi to a first-class double century
Viswanath was born in Bhadravathi in what was then Mysore State and grew up in a cricket culture centred on Bangalore. He announced himself in the most direct way possible, scoring a double century on his first-class debut against Andhra in 1967. Selectors noticed a young batter with quick hands, a short backlift and the ability to place the ball through gaps that other players did not see.
A duck, then a hundred, on Test debut
His Test debut came at Kanpur against Australia in November 1969. He had not been in the original squad for the first Test, and was called up after a strong showing in a tour match in Bombay. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the captain, sent him in at number four. Viswanath was out without scoring in the first innings. In the second he made 137. The match was drawn, but India had found a batter who would hold the middle order together for more than a decade.
The 97 at Madras
Many good judges consider an innings that fell short of three figures his finest. Against Clive Lloyd’s West Indies at Madras in the 1974-75 series, on a lively pitch with Andy Roberts in the West Indies attack, Viswanath was left unbeaten on 97 in a total of just 190. India went on to win the Test, and the 97 not out remains a reference point whenever Indian batting against genuine pace is discussed.
A year later, at Port of Spain in 1975-76, he made 112 as India chased 403 in the fourth innings to beat West Indies. At the time it was the highest successful run chase in Test history, and it came against a side that was soon to dominate world cricket.
Partner and brother-in-law to Gavaskar
For much of the 1970s, Indian batting rested on two men from opposite ends of the country’s cricket map. Sunil Gavaskar opened and wore bowlers down; Viswanath followed and attacked them with timing. The connection went beyond cricket. In March 1978 Viswanath married Kavita, Gavaskar’s sister, and the two batters became brothers-in-law.
His form held up away from home too. On the 1977-78 tour of Australia he scored more than 500 Test runs. Back at Madras in 1978-79 he made 124 out of 255. At Melbourne in 1980-81 he scored 114 in a match India looked certain to lose. Australia, needing only 143 to win, were bowled out for 83, and India squared the series.
Captaincy and the Jubilee Test
Viswanath captained India in two Tests in 1979-80, drawing one and losing one. The defeat, in the Golden Jubilee Test against England in Bombay, is remembered for an act of sportsmanship. England wicketkeeper Bob Taylor was given out caught behind, and Viswanath, believing Taylor had not hit the ball, recalled him. Taylor went on to add important runs and England won. Viswanath never regretted the decision, and the episode has become part of his reputation as one of the fairest cricketers India has produced.
Later roles in the game
After retiring, Viswanath stayed closely involved with Indian cricket. He served as chairman of the national selection committee, worked as manager of the Indian team and was an ICC match referee between 1999 and 2004. His autobiography, Wrist Assured, was published in later years and reflects the same quiet humour he showed on the field.
Honours came early. He received the Padma Shri in 1971, only two years into his Test career, and the Arjuna Award for 1977-78. The BCCI later gave him the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
Career record and honours
- Tests: 91 matches, 6,080 runs, average 41.93, 14 centuries, 35 fifties, highest score 222, 63 catches
- One-day internationals: 25 matches, 439 runs, highest score 75
- Test debut: November 1969 v Australia, Kanpur (0 and 137)
- India did not lose any Test in which he scored a century
- 97 not out v West Indies, Madras, 1974-75; 112 in the record chase of 403 at Port of Spain, 1975-76
- Captained India in two Tests, 1979-80
- Padma Shri, 1971
- Arjuna Award, 1977-78
- Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award
- ICC match referee, 1999-2004; former chairman of national selectors
