As the sobriquet goes, Lord’s is known as the Mecca of cricket and drawing a comparison for the same in terms of sanctity, the stadium scales the sky. Playing at Lord’s itself is a wholesome feeling for any cricketer in the world like a boxer feels at home in the Madison Square Garden, similarly, this stadium evokes a very overwhelming emotion in a cricketer.
Coupled with that if a cricketer can get his name embossed upon the remarkable honours board of the stadium, it is an unparalleled achievement of his life. Even the best of cricketers have struggled to smash a century at the hallowed stadium while there have been unexpected names gracing the board.
With all said and done, many Indians have also got their names etched on the Lord’s honours board with KL Rahul being the latest. Rohit Sharma came within touching distance of this remarkable feat before he got out for a stunning 83. We will take a quick glance at the Indian cricketers who have their names imprinted on the historic honours board at Lord’s.
#1 Vinoo Mankad
The man whose name precedes the infamous ‘mankading’ dismissal, Vinno Mankad was the first one to smash a blistering ton against England at Lord’s in 1952. It was a rare feat from Indians in the incipient days of cricket. However, Mankad made it possible, facing the mighty likes of Jim Laker, Alec Bedser and Fred Trueman. He smashed a phenomenal 184 to take India to a respectable stance but it wasn’t enough for the Indians to defend against the formidable hosts.
#2 Gundappa Vishwanath
It was a remarkable partnership between Gundappa Vishwanath and Dilip Vengsarkar that saved the day for India in the face of an impending calamity. After being dismissed for 96 in the opening innings, it was a magical knock from Vishwanath that helped them stay afloat on the last day. He managed to smash a phenomenal 113 before Lever got the better of him.
#3 Dilip Vengsarkar
As mentioned in the preceding part of the story, it was the partnership between him and Gundappa Vishwanath that saved India from the face of another humiliating defeat. He joined forces in that crucial partnership and scored a match-saving 103 in the fourth innings of the play.
#4 Mohammad Azharuddin
This Test couldn’t be saved despite herculean efforts from Mohammad Azharuddin, Ravi Shastri and Kapil Dev in the first innings. However, Azharuddin was relentless in pursuit of his brilliance as he smashed a 111-ball-121 to fire India to the fighting fore.
#5 Ravi Shastri
The current Indian coach knew what it feels to hammer a ton at the sacred Lord’s as he himself was a part of one maddening knock himself. It was in the same match where England ran roughshod over the Indian bowling in the first innings. Shastri opened the innings for India and he conjured a stellar century to keep India in the hunt.
#6 Sourav Ganguly
This match marked the return of the king to Indian cricket, rather in generic terms, the debut of the future king, Sourav Ganguly. He smashed the English bowlers through the off-side at will and his dance down the pitch was even more entertaining as he wreaked absolute havoc. He smashed an excellent 131 at Lord’s on his very debut.
#7 Ajit Agarkar
This may not be the exact name that will be coming to your mind when we talk about the iconic Lord’s honours board housing juggernauts of the sport but Agarkar did manage to blast a searing ton in the 2002 series where he went onto score 109 runs at the historic Lord’s Test.
#8 Rahul Dravid
It is always a treat to watch the Great Wall of India batting in a Test match and Dravid never let down the audience. He could have got his name much earlier on the honours board where he fell short of the hallowed feat by whiskers on his very debut. During 2011, Dravid smacked a delightful 103 runs from 220 balls. Though India lost the series, Dravid was adjudged as the man of the series.
#9 Ajinkya Rahane
Despite India’s heroics falling short in England in recent times, Rahane managed to stitch together an ecstatic 103 off 154 balls, helping India to stay afloat at the iconic Lord’s. In recent times, Rahane has been facing severe heat for a steep dip in his form.
#10 KL Rahul
Rahul was the latest addition to this squad as he whacked a match-defining 129 at Lord’s in the second Test match of the ongoing series. It was the opening partnership that sparked the difference for India to surge ahead in the series.
