Tribute to Sir Gary Sobers: the iconic legend at the iconic Eden Gardens                                    

Just two names will appear in every cricket follower’s World XI: Donald George Bradman and Garfield St Aubrun Sobers. Forever they will be enshrined in the ultimate XI of Test cricketers.

Till 31^st December, 1958, we in Calcutta had not seen Gary Sobers. Had only known that he was the world record holder with 365 runs. And in the previous two Tests on this tour of India with Gerry Alexander’s West Indies team he scored two hundreds, 142 not out at Bombay and 198 run out at Kanpur.

At Eden Gardens West Indies won the toss and batted.  Openers Hunte and Holt left early. At no. 3 handsome Rohan Kanhai walked in. As the 2^nd wicket fell, the crowd stood up in expectation of the man they had come to watch. In the NCC enclosure where I was, the spectators began to cheer “Sobers”, “Sobers”. The huge NCC score-board too put the name of Sobers on the appropriate space.

However as an eight-year old cricket-crazy youngster, I told my mom beside me that the player was not Gary Sobers but Collie Smith! The gentleman beside gave me a condescending smile and furrowed his eyebrows. As Smith took guard as a right-hander, the score-board changed the name and the gentleman gave me a warm pat on the back.

Kanhai scored a blistering 256, followed by Basil Butcher’s 103. In the meantime one left-handed artist –this time batting at number six – remained unbeaten on 106. The style of his languid walk, the grace of his movements captivated the Eden Gardens connoisseurs and the common man. Never seemed to hit the ball, merely caressed it.

 On reaching the landmark hundred, he raised his bat but lowered his head in a gesture of utmost modesty. What a lesson to learn. The West Indies with their free flowing mannerisms and smiling faces transformed Eden Gardens forever. Cricket at Eden was never the same again. The mad rush for Test match tickets at Calcutta began with Sobers and Kanhai, Hall and Gilchrist. That was 1958-59 winter.

Next Gary Sobers arrived with Jim Swanton’s XI followed by Mohun Bagan AC’s platinum jubilee match in 1964. On either occasion sheer artistry flowed till the customary century was recorded. Wherever he went around the cricketing world, his phenomenal performance was invariably overwhelmed by his lazy elegance and graceful gait.

Next time at Eden he was in 1966-67. Before the start of the 1^st day’s play Sobers, now the captain, was having a bat-ball ‘warm-up’ knock-about on the practice pitch without nets in front of the NCC enclosure. I was close to the scene holding onto the low fencing, gaping at him. What I saw was amazing to say the least.

 One of the reserve players of Wse Indies, Rex Collymore, a left-arm spinner was bowling to my cricketing God. Sobers was softly pushing the ball back to the bowler. I was thunderstruck when I noticed he was using the narrow width of the bat! He was not using the broad blade of the bat but batting with the edge! Batting with the edge without being beaten even once! In all my experience till today never have I seen anybody else do this with such ease and elegance.

On the 2^nd day of the match (1^st January 1967), the greedy CAB organizers sold more ‘daily’ tickets than the accommodation available! The crowd went berserk. They climbed the low iron fencing around the ground and chased the police and the administrators. The day’s game had to be abandoned.

The West Indies players quite rightly were unwilling to continue the Test match because they felt insecure. The local manager of the West Indies team was Dilip Ghosh, an erudite man and superlative administrator. He rushed to Sir Frank Worrell, who was on a lecture tour at Jadavpur University.

Worrell impressed upon his protégé Sobers that the representatives of West Indies Federation had to be impeccable guests. Moreover the Calcutta cricket enthusiasts did not attack the players at all. This guidance was motivation enough. The match continued. Within months, Sir Frank was no more.

The greatness of two cricketing knights – one earlier in 1964 and one later in 1975 – showed the world what cricket and international relations were all about. They were the two pioneer personalities whose selfless sportsmanship made the West Indies men the most respected and the best cricketers in the world.

Met Sir Gary just once, at Nottinghamshire CCC in 1977. I was in the 2^nd XI while the genius had finished his superlative career with the county club in 1974. His prime message to the gathering was, “Enjoy the game and give enjoyment to others.” Wherever he went he was the foremost ambassador of cricket. His generosity, his genius and his sportsmanship are beyond words and ages.

 Sobers needed no appellation or awards. But generations bowed their heads to him and hailed him as “The Greatest”.

(This article appeared in The Telegraph the day following the legend’s death.)