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Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar paid tribute to Sir Garfield Sobers after the West Indies great passed away on Friday, calling him the greatest cricketer to ever play the game and the kind of player every child dreams of becoming.Widely regarded as cricket’s greatest all-rounder, Sobers died at his home in Barbados, 11 days before his 90th birthday. During a career that spanned two decades, he set new standards with his batting, bowling and fielding.“This is probably the saddest day for the game of cricket. The greatest cricketer in the world has left us. No words can do justice to Sir Garfield Sobers, the cricketer.“He was everything we dream of becoming when we pick up a bat or a ball as children,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.“The memories come flooding back and I will forever hold that close to my heart. Rest in peace Sir Garfield. You will forever be in our hearts,” he added.Sobers represented the West Indies in 93 Test matches between 1954 and 1974. He scored 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78, including 26 centuries, and also took 235 wickets.A left-arm batsman, Sobers was equally effective as a left-arm bowler and fast medium bowler, a left-arm orthodox spinner and a left-arm round spinner. He was also known as one of the best infielders and closers in the history of the game.His unbeaten score of 365 against Pakistan in 1958 was the highest single score in Test cricket at the time. The record lasted for 36 years.Another landmark came in 1968 when, playing round cricket for Nottinghamshire, he became the first player to hit six sixes in an over in first-class cricket. The feat came against Glamorgan’s Malcolm Nash.Sobersa is Queen Elizabeth II. knighted in 1975 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, the ICC’s annual award given to the outstanding male international cricketer in all formats.
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