Here are the five best innings by Indian batsmen at the MCG.
MCG has been a happy hunting ground for the Indian batsmen, as some of the most memorable innings by them have come at this ground. India first played on this ground on January 1, 1948, and Vinoo Mankad, the mercurial all-rounder scored the first hundred at the ground by an Indian.
Since then, seven more Indian batsmen have scored centuries at the ground and Team COC brings to you five of the most brilliant and memorable innings by Indian batsmen at the MCG.
Here are the 5 best centuries by Indian batsmen at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
SUNIL GAVASKAR – 118, 1977
The third Test of the Australia and India Test series of 1977-78 was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and India won the toss, electing to bat first.
However, India lost both its openers for ducks and despite a recovery from Mohinder Amarnath, Gundappa Vishwanath, and Ashok Mankad, scored 256 runs in its 1st innings. India bowled well to keep Australia to 213, with Bhagwath Chandrasekhar picking 6/52.
In the second innings, however, things became different as opener Sunil Gavaskar dug deep putting team’s need for a big score in front and kept adding small partnerships as India put on a decent score of 343 runs. Vishwanath also scored a nifty 54, Amarnath and others contributed, as Gavaskar reached a must deserved century.
Sunil Gavaskar scored a masterful 118 off 285 balls with 12 fours in 351 minutes. His innings helped India put on a target of 387 runs for Australia. His innings made India confident of winning the match and with Chandrasekhar repeating his 1st innings performance of 6/52 and 12 wickets in the match, India won the Test by 222 runs to claw back in the series.
Gavaskar’s 118 helped the Indian spinners get the runs to back them up and put the Australian batsmen under pressure and capitulate at the same moment.
GUNDAPPA VISHWANATH – 114, 1981
Another century by a master stroke-maker from India at the MCG and another famous win in Australia for Team India.
Unlike the 1977 series, where India faced an Australian team which was devoid of its star power due to the Packer series, the 1981 series saw Team India face a full force Australian team captained by Greg Chappell.
Australia won the toss and fielded first, unleashing Dennis Lillee and Len Pascoe at the Indian batsmen.
Though India was reduced to 43/3 with Chetan Chauhan dismissed for a duck, Gundappa Vishwanath, the wristy magician from Hyderabad, took the onus on himself to make runs and scored a crafty 114 off 222 balls in 274 minutes with 11 fours. The next best scores came from Syed Kirmani (25) and Sandeep Patil (23). India managed to put on 237 on the board, as Lillee and Pascoe shared seven wickets in between them.
Allan Border’s 124 and fifties from Doug Walters and Greg Chappell took Australia to 419. Indian top order clicked in the second innings with Gavaskar (70), Chauhan (85), Vengsarkar (41) and other cameos taking India to 324 and set Australia a target of 143 runs to win.
After Karsan Ghavri and Dilip Doshi joined forces to remove the Australian top order, an injured Kapil Dev came to decimate the middle and lower order, taking 5/28 and keeping the Australian total to 83 runs and India registered a famous win by 59 runs, to equalize the 3-match series at 1-1.
Gundappa Vishwanath was given the Player of the Match award for his majestic 114.
SACHIN TENDULKAR – 116, 1999
India had lost the first Test at Adelaide by 285 runs and came into the second Test at MCG to save face and the series.
Australia batted first after Sachin won the toss and chose to field. Half-centuries from Michael Slater (91), Ponting and Gilchrist took Australia to 405. In reply, India kept losing wickets at an alarming rate, with the top three, VVS Laxman, S Ramesh, and Rahul Dravid falling for single-digit scores.
However, Sachin Tendulkar was playing solidly at one end and despite the loss of wickets at the other end, took the attack to Australian bowlers comprising of Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming, Brett Lee, and Shane Warne.
Tendulkar scored 116 in 191 balls with 9 fours and 1 six, before being dismissed by Fleming. India made 238 runs in first innings. Australia scored 208/5d in their second innings, setting India 376 to win.
Tendulkar again stood out with a brilliant 52, but none of the other batsmen were able to handle the Australian bowling attack and were bowled out for 195 runs and lost the Test by 180 runs.
VIRENDER SEHWAG – 195, 2003
India came into the 3rd Test at MCG after drawing the first Test at Brisbane and winning the second in Adelaide, leading the series 1-0.
Ganguly won the toss and opted to bat first and Virender Sehwag took the bull by its horns and smacked 195 runs in 233 balls with 25 fours and 5 sixes. The assault was special as India was losing wickets at the other end with next best scores being 49 by Dravid and 48 by Aakash Chopra.
His innings was so furious that Australian bowling was stunned at one point of time and by the time his wicket fell at the score of 311, he was going to hit a six to reach his double hundred on day one. He fell to part-timer Simon Katich, caught by Bracken.
India was dismissed for 366. Australia scored 558 with Ponting making 257 and Hayden making 136. India was only able to make 286 runs with Dravid making 92 and Ganguly making 73 runs. Set a mere 95 runs to win, Australia achieved the target losing just 1 wicket and won the match by 9 wickets.
India was unable to take advantage of the brilliant knock by Sehwag that was scored at a furious rate and if other batsmen had been able to shepherd the score with him going berserk at the other end, India might have put up a bigger score on board and avoid defeat.
The defeat didn’t take any sheen away from Sehwag’s assault innings of 195 and it goes down as one of the great centuries scored by an Indian batsman in Australia.
VIRAT KOHLI – 169, 2014
Australia had won the first two Tests of the series and India came into the MCG Test to save some face. Australia batted first and put on a huge 530 on board with skipper Steve Smith making 192 and Rogers, Watson and Haddin scoring fifty-plus scores.
India had to reply in kind and they did with Vijay scoring 68 and then with a huge 262-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane scored a mesmerizing 147 runs with 21 fours.
However, the innings of the match belonged to Virat Kohli, who scored 169 in 272 balls with 18 fours. He took on the Australian bowling attack comprising of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon. He was further instigated by a throw from Mitchell Johnson hitting him and then some verbal volleys by Australians fueled Kohli.
India managed to score 465 runs. Australia made 318/9d with Shaun Marsh making 99 and set India a target of 384 runs. India managed to draw the match with Kohli making 54 and Rahane making 48, ending the innings on 174/6.
However, Virat Kohli endeared himself to the Indian fans present in the ‘G’ with that brilliant display of fearless hitting and taking on the Australian bowlers.