Sunil Gavaskar names greatest all-rounder he has ever seen and most difficult pitch he batted on

Gavaskar has more than 10,000 in Test runs to his name.

Sir Garfield Sobers | Getty Images

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, on Sunday (June 14), picked West Indies' legendary Sir Garfield Sobers, as the greatest all-rounder he has ever seen in the game of cricket.

The cricket world has seen top all-rounders like Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Ian Botham, and Richard Hadlee as among the best in Sunil Gavaskar's era, but nobody impressed the former Indian captain as legendary Sobers did as he went on to pick the latter as the greatest all-rounder.

Gavaskar said on The Cricket Analyst podcast: “The greatest all-rounder that I saw was Sir Garfield Sobers because he was quite simply somebody who could change the game with the bat, he could change the game with the ball.

He could change the game by taking an incredible catch close in or even in the outfield. But the impact that he had and the number of matches he turned with both bat and ball is the reason why he was the greatest all-rounder that I have seen.”

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He also picked Chennai's surface as the toughest one to bat on during a Test match between India and the West Indies. Gavaskar batted on the most lightning-quick and bouncy decks around the world including the likes of Brisbane, Jamaica, and Perth, but the Chennai pitch was the nightmare for him.

Gavaskar further explained, “The hardest pitch that I have played on was in Chennai in 1978 against the West Indies. It was the fastest pitch that I played on. I’ve played at Sabina Park on a couple of occasions where the ball was flying. I’ve played at Perth. I’ve played at the Gabba where the ball was traveling."

He signed off by saying, “I’ve played on a rain-fresh pitch at Sydney when Jeff Thomson was really letting in the rip. But that pitch in Chennai with Sylvester Clarke. The ball was just flying around. I think that’s the most difficult pitch I’ve battled on.”

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 14 Jun, 2021

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