An upright, orthodox and - when the mood took him - stylish right-hand batsman, Vengsarkar was Mr Reliable at No3 for more than a decade.

Consistent though rarely memorable against most opponents, he would become Bradman for five days whenever he visited Lord's.

In three Tests there between 1979 and 1986 he scored three centuries - 103, 157, and 126 not out to help give India their first win in 11 matches at the ground.

He also made 137 against England in Kanpur.

Having had his inexperience shine more than his talent when he made his Test debut at 19, he came of age in 1978/79 when he scored 417 runs at 60 against the West Indies, including two hundreds.

Eventually, the consistency that would bring him 6,868 Test runs at 41.13 earned him the captaincy in 1987, though he probably wishes he had never been asked. In ten Tests in charge, India lost five times and won only twice.