"Vishy" had a thing about debuts, scoring 230 in his first first-class match, for Karnataka in 1967, and then 137 in the second innings of his first Test, against Australia, two years later, having made a duck in the first.

From then he became a regular in the Indian middle-order, making 87 consecutive Test appearances.

As with other great Indians, he saved his best for England, scoring centuries against them in Bombay in 1972/73, at Lord's in 1979 (a match-saving 113), and in Madras in 1982 (222).

Married to Sunil Gavaskar's sister, Vishy was known as India's other Little Master - at 5ft4in he was the shorter of the two by ? inch and was capable of scintillating strokeplay off both feet.

He was also the more adventurous of the two - and therefore the looser, which partly accounts for an average of 41 in Tests, ten runs less than Gavaskar.