Dilip Vengsarkar scored 102* against England in the second Test match in 1986.
A batsman’s ability can only be judged when he scores runs on a difficult track and Dilip Vengsarkar proved this during India’s tour of England in 1986. The right-handed batsman had already got a ton on the tour in the first match but it was the second innings of the second match of three-Test series in Headingley that showed his ability.
The match had mostly been dominated by the bowlers as India and England had just managed 272 and 102 in their first innings respectively with Vengsarkar scoring the highest (61). But the English bowlers were put on the backfoot when Vengsarkar came out to bat at number four in the second innings.
The hosts started the proceedings in the second innings on a positive note as John Lever and Graham Dilley removed openers Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikanth to reduce India to 9/2. They later got rid of Ravi Shastri and Mohammad Azharuddin quickly to leave India tottering at 35/4. But Vengsarkar stood steady at the other end and showed why he was one of the finest players that Indian cricket had ever produced.
Wickets kept falling at regular intervals but Vengsarkar kept going and steadied the ship for the side and kept the scoreboard moving. He went on to score 102 off 216 that included 10 boundaries and remained unbeaten to provide India with a huge lead in the second innings.
England were set a target of 407 runs but they were bundled out for 128 to suffer a defeat by 279 runs. Vengsarkar’s unbeaten ton gave India an unassailable lead in the Test series as they had won the first match by five wickets. Moreover, the former Indian captain scored a hundred in his second consecutive Test match.