When bowler Sunil Gavaskar dreamed of dismissing West Indies great Gary Sobers

Sunil Gavaskar may have built his legendary career on batting, but there was a time when he enjoyed being a bowler and dreamed of dismissing two of the greatest West Indian cricketers of his era. The former Indian captain recently recalled how he envisioned catching Rohan Kanhai behind before catching Garfield Sobers leg in front of the wicket in the very next delivery.

The fantasy belonged to the young Gavaskar, who would eventually become one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history. However, his actual bowling career was considerably less eventful. Gavaskar bowled just one on his Test debut against the West Indies in Port of Spain, where Sobers were playing, and ended his Test career with just one wicket – that of Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas.

“I feel a bit silly saying this, but in those days they used to give you a new ball to mix with in the nets. Nobody could see whether you were bowling from 22 yards or a little higher. At Brabourne Stadium, the nets used to be quite lively. The ball used to move a bit,” Gavaskar told PTI during an interview at the Bombay Gymkhana.

Also Read: Sir Garfield Sobers, one of cricket’s greatest all-rounders, dies at the age of 89

“So at that time I imagined I was a bowler. And my only dream was – again, that’s why I say I feel stupid – to get Rohan Kanhai because I used to be a decent outswinger. I wanted to catch Rohan Kanhai from behind and get Garfield Sobers lbw the very next ball. That was my dream,” Gavaskar said.

GAVASKAR GOES DOWN MEMORY LANE

Gavaskar’s admiration for Sobers went back to his childhood, when he watched the great West Indies play in India. One of his earliest memories was from the 1958 tour, when a young Gavaskar watched from the North Stand as Sobers took on the Indian bowlers.

“I saw him catch and drop Ghulam Guard. He was a left-arm fast bowler. He bowled a bouncer, Sobers went for a hook and the bat flew out of his hand. The ball went up in the air and Ghulam Guard, a fast bowler, took the catch himself,” he recalled.

“We were all disappointed that he only got 25. Even though we are Indians, we wanted to see Garry Sobers and Rohan Kanhai score. That didn’t happen.”

However, Sobers made up for that disappointment in the second innings and produced a memorable response against the Guard.

“But in the second innings, when Ghulam Guard bowled another bouncer, Garry Sobers hit him on the tennis court. I think he made 142 not out,” Gavaskar said.

A LASTING IMPRESSION IN BRABOURNE

Gavaskar also recalled watching Sobers at the Brabourne Stadium in December 1966 as the West Indian great continued to display his extraordinary talent. Although Gavaskar was under 18 and technically not allowed inside the pavilion, he remembered being able to watch the action from a designated area.

“At Brabourne Stadium in 1966, I was actually in the pavilion. Even though I was under 18 and I shouldn’t have been there, the CCI had a rule that people under 18 were not allowed in the pavilion,” Gavaskar recalled.

“I think they allowed us to be near the playpen that used to be there, and that’s when we saw the game where Sir Garfield scored.

Sobers, who represented the West Indies between 1954 and 1974, played 93 Tests, scoring 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78 and taking 235 wickets.

Widely regarded as one of cricket’s finest all-rounders, he combined elegant batting with a bowler’s versatility and exceptional fielding ability. He was knighted in 1975 for his services to cricket. Sobers died on July 17, 2026, aged 89, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy.

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