Gundappa Viswanath

Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath

In 1975-76, Viswanath again produced some strong performances against the West Indies, the most notable of which was his 112 at which helped India to reach the victory target of 403. At the time, this was the highest successful run-chase in Test cricket. In 1978-79 at Madras when he scored 124 out of a total of 255. India went on to win the match which ultimately led to a 1-0 series victory in the 6-match series, although this West Indian side was considerably weaker than in previous series after many players opted to play in World Series Cricket instead. Viswanath also had a brief stint as the Indian captain in 1979-80. In the two Tests he captained, one was drawn and onr was lost, the latter being the Golden Jubilee Test against England. Throughout his career, Viswanath was renowned for his sense of fair-play, and in this match he recalled Bob Taylor to the crease after the umpire had already given him out. Taylor went on to score some vital runs for England helping them to win the match.

Viswanath retired from Tests in 1983, and later served as a match referee for the ICC from 1999 to 2004. He was also the Chairman of the national selection committee, and also served as the manager of the Indian cricket team. He is also involved in cricket coaching at NCA. He is married to Kavita, sister of Sunil Gavaskar and with their son Daivik reside in Bangalore, India. Viswanath was awarded Col. C K Naidu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 by BCCI which is one of the highest awards given in Indian cricket.