When you sit down and focus on the matches and series that took place during the 12 month period it strikes you just how broad the talent pool is in international cricket is today.

India played in twelve Tests losing five and drawing seven. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground when Gavaskar was given out by the Australian umpire Rex Whitehead he ordered his fellow opener Chetan Chauhan off the field. His captaincy of the Indian team however was less successful.

He held the record of 34 Test centuries for almost two decades before it was broken by Sachin Tendulkar in December 2005. 45 against the West Indies who possessed a four-pronged fast bowling attack regarded as the most vicious in Test history.