What happened on March 21: Gavaskar scores his first test century, Daniel Pearl's murderers were charged in Pakistan

On this day, March 21, 1971, Sunil Gavaskar scored the first of his 34 test cricket centuries. At the time, Gavaskar was in the third match of the five-test series against West Indies. He scored a total of 774 runs in the test series. He also scored 116 runs in this test match played in Guyana. Gavaskar scored three centuries, three half-centuries and one double century in this match against West Indies.

According to reports, Gavaskar had a toothache during the match. He treated his pain by taking out his anger against the West Indies bowlers. Gavaskar’s century and Gundappa Viswanath and Syed Abid Ali’s half-centuries took India to a 13-run lead. West Indies declared the second innings at 307 for three wickets. The hosts were hopeful that they would get India out but the Indian batsmen had the match drawn. Gavaskar scored 63 not out in the second innings.

Also on this day, March 21, 2002, British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three others were charged in a Pakistani court with the kidnapping and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl. The Wall Street Journal reporter was abducted in Karachi on January 23, 2002, while trying to contact radical groups and investigate Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network. As recently as 2021, a court acquitted Sheikh and since then, Pearl’s family has been fighting a legal battle to overturn the acquittal.