‘He was everything we dreamed of being’: Sunil Gavaskar’s touching tribute to Garry Sobers | Cricket News

former india captain Sunil Gavaskar Tributes have been paid to West Indies great Sir Garfield Sobers following his death on Friday, describing him as the greatest cricketer of all time and the player every child dreams of becoming.Sobers, widely regarded as cricket’s greatest all-rounder, died at his home in Barbados, 11 days short of his 90th birthday. In a career that spanned two decades, he set new standards in batting, bowling and fielding.“This is probably the saddest day in cricket. The greatest cricketer on earth has left us. No words can do justice to cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers.“When we picked up a bat or a ball as kids, he was who we dreamed of becoming,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.“The memories keep coming and this is what I will always remember. RIP Sir Garfield. You will always be in our hearts,” he added.Sobers played 93 Test matches for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. He scored 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78, including 26 centuries, and also took 235 wickets.Sobers is a left-arm batsman who is equally effective as a left-arm fast-medium bowler, a left-arm orthodox spinner and a left-arm wrist spinner. He is also considered one of the best outfielders and closers in the history of the game.His unbeaten 365 against Pakistan in 1958 was the highest individual score in Test cricket at that time. The record stood for 36 years.Another milestone came in 1968 when he became the first player to hit six sixes per over in first-class cricket while playing county cricket for Nottinghamshire. This feat was achieved against Glamorgan County’s Malcolm Nash.In 1975, Sobers was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to cricket. In 2000, he was named one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century.His name also lives on through the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, an annual award given by the International Cricket Council to outstanding men’s international cricketers across all formats.