Chetan Chauhan Dies at 73: A Look at Some Records of the Former Indian Opener

Former Indian cricketer and politician Chetan Chauhan passed away at 73 after suffering a cardiac arrest on Sunday (August 16, 2020). Chauhan’s medical condition was critical lately as he was put into ventilator support at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram after suffering a kidney failure and breathing issues. Notably, he also contracted with the COVID-19 virus in July earlier this year. He didn’t even recover from the rapidly-spreading disease when he suffered kidney failure and blood pressure problems on Friday. Fans expressed grief after coming across the sad news and paid tribute to the cricketer-turned-politician. 

Chauhan, who made his debut in 1969, was known to be a gritty cricketer who used to tackle the fearsome Australian and Caribbean pacers without any agitation. He formed a formidable pair with another legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar and together, the duo thrashed many potent bowling line-ups. Be it a pace-friendly pitch or a turning track, Chauhan rose to every challenge and proved his mettle. Meanwhile, let’s look at some of his interesting records. 

1. Chauhan holds the world record for most fifties (16) without scoring a hundred in Test cricket.
2. His tally of 2084 Test runs is second-most for any batsman without scoring a century. Australia’s Shane Warne is at the top of the list with 3154 runs.
3. Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan have added 3010 runs with 10-century partnerships in the longest format of the game.
4. The opening partnership of the duo had a staggering average of 53.75, most for an Indian opening pair with a 1000 run cutoff.
5. His highest Test score (97) came against England in the year 1979.

Courtesy his significant contribution of the game, the star batsman received the honourable Arjuna Award in the year 1981. After bidding farewell to international cricket, Chauhan started his new innings in the field of politics. The veteran, who was UP’s sports minister till last year, served at many different positions in his political career. Also, he was appointed as the manager of the Indian cricket during one of their tour to Australia.