Sunil Gavaskar's final international appearance was against England?
(21 January 2002)

India went into their 1987 World Cup semi-final tie against England at Mumbai with the odds heavily stacked in their favour. The home side had an enviable record in the matches leading up to that crucial game, while England had been beaten soundly on more occasions than they would have liked.

The match was to prove Sunil Gavaskar's final international appearance, for India did not make it past that semifinal stage. Putting England in to bat, India conceded a total of 254 in 50 overs, with Graham Gooch making a splendid 115 and Gatting a vital 56. Both Gooch and Gatting seemed determined to sweep everything on view, a strategy that, by and large, worked out very well on the day.

Chasing 255, India were looking to Gavaskar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth to provide a sound launch-pad for the chase. Gavaskar, however, fell with the score on seven, making a mere four off seven balls. Apart from Mohammad Azharuddin (64), no batsman could even get past the 40-run mark, a factor that saw India bowled out for 219 in 45.3 overs, with Eddie Hemmings taking four wickets.

Gavaskar had played his last Test earlier in 1987, a game in which he struck a masterful 96 in a losing cause. Here again, Gavaskar finished his one-day international career on a bitter note, in a match that was not only lost, but precluded India from taking part in a World Cup final.

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