Mumbai, Oct 12 Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Monday recalled how he idolised Sir Garfield Sobers and dreamed of dismissing the West Indies great during his childhood days, saying the legendary all-rounder was “everybody’s hero”.
Sobers, widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, died in July this year at the age of 89.
“My earliest hero was actually ML Jaisimha. But then, of course, at the international level, there was Rohan Kanhai and Sir Garfield Sobers,” Gavaskar said during a conversation at the Bombay Gymkhana to celebrate Sobers’ life and legacy.
“I feel a little silly saying this, but in those days, they used to give you the new ball to bowl with in the nets. Nobody saw whether you were bowling from 22 yards or from a little further up. At the Brabourne Stadium, the nets used to be pretty lively. The ball used to move around a little,” he said.
“So I fancied myself as a bowler at that time. And my one dream was — again, that’s why I say I feel silly — that I would get Rohan Kanhai because I used to bowl a decent outswinger. I wanted to get Rohan Kanhai caught behind and then, off the very next ball, get Garfield Sobers lbw. That was my dream.”
While he made little impact as a bowler, Gavaskar himself would go on to become one of the game’s finest batters with his sound technique and temperament.
He added, “Of course, I didn’t get to bowl in my first Test, and that’s when I realised that bowling is a whole different thing.
“But just to be around the same age as these two greats, and, of course, greats from the Indian team as well, was special. My hero, Jaisimha, happened to be there on that first trip of mine. Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Sardesai — these guys were unbelievable,” Gavaskar said.
“Being around these players and seeing that, yes, there was awe, but they were still very competitive, was also a big thing for me.”
Gavaskar recalled watching Sobers play for the West Indies against India at the Brabourne Stadium in December 1966 and, before that, in 1958.
“At the Brabourne Stadium in 1966, I was actually in the pavilion. Although I was under 18 and shouldn’t have been there, the CCI had a rule that those under 18 were not allowed in the pavilion,” he recalled.
“I think they allowed us to be near the children’s enclosure that used to be there, and that’s when we saw the game in which Sir Garfield scored those runs.”
Before that, in 1958, Gavaskar had watched Sobers from the North Stand when the West Indies toured India.
“I had seen him get out caught and bowled off Ghulam Guard. He was a left-arm fast bowler. He bowled a bouncer, Sobers went for a hook shot and the bat flew out of his hand. The ball went up in the air, and Ghulam Guard, the fast bowler, took the catch himself,” he said.
“We were all disappointed that he got only 25. Despite being Indians, we wanted to see Garry Sobers and Rohan Kanhai score runs. That didn’t happen.”
“But in the second innings, when Ghulam Guard bowled another bouncer, Garry Sobers hit him over to the tennis court. I think he made 142 not out.”
Gavaskar said he and his teammates were in awe of the legendary West Indies all-rounder when they eventually shared the ground with him.
“I have very fond memories of watching him from a distance, from the stands. Therefore, when I got the opportunity to actually be on the same ground, with the West Indies changing room on one side and the Indian changing room on the other, all of us — I don’t think there was any exception — were in awe,” he said.
“All of us were in awe, just watching the man. Watching him walk, watching him practise, watching him talk. We weren’t focused on our own practice. Sir Garry was everybody’s hero. And that’s what I recall very, very vividly, how we were just in awe of the man. Even today, when he is no more,” he added.
Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop also recalled Sobers’ warmth towards him when they served together on cricket committees.
“I served on a couple of cricket committees with him. Starting with Lord Learie Constantine, one of the West Indies’ first great all-rounders, you build on the shoulders of those who came before you, which I’m sure Sir Garry would have done,” Bishop said.
“Having spoken to Sir Garry and listened to him during those cricket committee meetings, I realised he was a special human being. When I think of his passing a couple of months ago, it often brings tears to my eyes because the legacy of the player is one thing,” he added.
Bishop recalled being the youngest member in meetings attended by several West Indies greats, including Sir Everton Weekes, Clive Lloyd, Lance Gibbs, Sir Vivian Richards, Joel Garner and Desmond Haynes.
“He would always seek me out and say, ‘Youngster, how are you? Good afternoon! Come and sit here.’ And that made me feel special. I don’t know if he did it on purpose, but I’ve come to understand that that was Sir Garry’s way,” he said.
Bishop added, “He would go down to the rum shops in Barbados and hang out with the punters as if he were one of them. The tears do come to my eyes sometimes when I think about how he made me feel as a young kid with nothing, growing up in Trinidad and Tobago and eventually becoming a West Indies player.
(PTI News)
