Sanjay Manjrekar scored his first test hundred against an intimidating West Indian pace-attack

Touted as ‘The next Sunil Gavaskar’ or the reincarnation of his father Vijay Manjrekar, the young Sanjay Manjrekar was known around the world for his technical perfection and sublime batting technique. There was hardly any sight better in international cricket than watching Mr. Manjrekar bat in a test against the best bowling attacks in the world. Many cricket pundits said that Sanjay inherited his flawless batting skill from his great father Vijay Manjrekar, who was a fine cutter and a brilliant hooker of the cricket ball.

On this day in 1989, Sanjay Manjrekar scored his first test century for against West Indies at Kensington Oval, Barbados. On a green top of Bridgetown, Manjrekar showed amazing grit and great composure against the deadly quartet of Ambrose, Bishop, Marshall, and Walsh. He played a fine knock of 108 runs that included 15 boundaries. He formed crucial partnerships with Mohammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev to take the Indian total to a respectable score of 321.

Though India lost the test match by 8 wickets, but Manjrekar’s test hundred placed him among the Indian batting greats all-time. In the same match, Ian Raphael Bishop picked up his first five-wicket haul in the first innings of the test. He took the wickets of Arun Lal, Ravi Shastri, Azharuddin, Manjrekar, Kapil Dev and Arshad Ayub. Bishop ended with figures of 6/87 in 25 overs. Though a string of injuries ended the career of one of the most fearsome fast bowlers in the world cricket, Ian Bishop. The giant Trinidadian was famous for his long run-up and his ability to generate raw pace from the pitch was a sight to behold for every cricket lover.

Congrats to both the champions of world cricket for their contribution in the game!

(Image Source: cricketnmore.com)