On This Day In Cricket - January 27

27 January is a special day in cricket because many historic moments are linked to this date. On this day in 1964, South African batters shared a huge partnership against Australia, while in 1948, Vijay Hazare raised India’s pride with his batting in Australia. The day is also important as it marks the birthdays of great bowlers like Chaminda Vaas and Daniel Vettori. It is also the day when India’s World Cup hero Gautam Gambhir played his last ODI match. In this article, we look back at all these memorable cricket moments from January 27.

On This Day - January 27, 1964 - Graeme Pollock and Eddie Barlow's Historic Partnership

This day became a special moment in cricket history, when after the rest day on 26th January the game resumed on 27th January 1964 and South Africa took the full control of the match against Australia. Eddie Barlow and the 19-year-old Graeme Pollock forged a massive partnership record of 341 runs for the third wicket. Barlow scored a brilliant 201 runs, while Pollock played an attacking innings of 175. They scored runs so quickly that even the Australian bowlers looked helpless on their home ground.

South Africa scored a huge 595 runs in their first innings, which was their highest score ever against Australia at that time. Australia had made 345 runs in their first innings, but under pressure in the second innings they were bowled out for 331. Eddie Barlow also did well with the ball after his batting and took 3 wickets for just 6 runs in the second innings.

On This Day - January 27, 1948 - Vijay Hazare Becomes First Indian to Score Centuries in Both Test Innings

Vijay Hazare made a great record for Indian cricket at the Adelaide Oval. In the 1948 Test match, he became the first Indian to score centuries in both innings of a Test. Australia was very strong at that time and was called ‘The Invincibles.’ Hazare still played confidently and scored 116 runs in the first innings and 145 runs in the second innings.

This performance was special because the Indian team was under heavy pressure, because Australia’s huge scored of 674 runs, so India had to bat again after the follow-on. Other Indian players were getting out for zero in the second innings, but Hazare kept fighting alone on the crease. Even though India lost the match, Vijay Hazare impressed with both bat and ball, as he also bowled out the great Don Bradman in the same Test.

On This Day - January 27, 1974 - Chaminda Vaas Was Born

27 January is the birthday of Sri Lanka’s former fast bowler Chaminda Vaas. He is one of the best left-arm bowlers in cricket history, who holds the world record for the best bowling figures in ODI cricket with 8 wickets for 19 runs. He took a hat-trick with the first three balls of the match against Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup. The interesting fact about Vaas is that he dismissed ‘The God of Cricket’ Sachin Tendulkar 12 times in his career.

Chaminda Vaas was famous for his swing bowling and troubled batters with the new ball. He took 400 wickets in ODIs and 355 wickets in Tests, making him Sri Lanka’s most successful fast bowler. As a child, he wanted to become a church priest, not a cricketer, but life took him to the cricket field. His full name is Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, which is one of the longest names in cricket history.

On This Day - January 27, 1979 - Daniel Vettori Was Born

27 January is the birthday of New Zealand’s great cricketer Daniel Vettori. He became the youngest player to play Test cricket for New Zealand, making his debut at just 18 years of age. Vettori is only the eighth player in cricket history to score 3,000 runs and take 300 wickets in Test matches. He was also the first left-arm spinner in the world to take more than 300 wickets in both Tests and ODIs.

Daniel Vettori was well known for playing with glasses, which is rare in international cricket. He is New Zealand’s second most successful Test bowler after Sir Richard Hadlee and finished his career with 362 Test wickets. Vettori also captained New Zealand and was a strong all-rounder, scoring six Test centuries. After retiring from cricket, he became a successful coach. He has coached Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and is currently the head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad.

On This Day - January 27, 1998 - Australia Defeats South Africa in Carlton & United Series Final

On 27 January 1998 at Sydney ground, Australia pulled off a remarkable victory against South Africa. In the third and deciding final of the Carlton & United Series, Australia beat South Africa by 14 runs to win the trophy. The win was special because South Africa had beaten Australia five times earlier in the tournament, but Australia made a strong comeback in the finals and won the series 2-1. The key players were Ricky Ponting, who scored 76 and Steve Waugh, who made 71, as they added 102 runs for the fourth wicket and secured the team in a tough situation.

Australia batted first and scored 247 runs in 50 overs. South Africa lost wickets regularly while chasing the target and were bowled out for 233. Paul Reiffel bowled well for Australia and took 3 wickets. A memorable moment came at the end when South Africa’s last batter Paul Adams played a reverse sweep off Shane Warne. Even South Africa captain Hansie Cronje was surprised and later said he had been trying that shot for four years but never managed to play it.

On This Day - January 27, 2013 - Gautam Gambhir's Final ODI Appearance

On this day in 2013, India’s opening batter Gautam Gambhir played his last ODI match. The match was played against England at the stadium in Dharamshala, which was also the first international match held at this venue. Gambhir scored 24 runs but was caught by Ian Bell off the bowling of James Tredwell. India lost the match by 7 wickets, but they won the ODI series 3-2.

Gautam Gambhir had a very successful career and is often called India’s World Cup hero. He scored 75 runs in the 2007 T20 World Cup final and 97 runs in the 2011 ODI World Cup final, helping India win both titles. After retiring from cricket, he entered politics and served as a Member of Parliament. He has now left politics and is currently the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.