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[Max]
by Guest Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:22 pm
Who was the better batsman between Viv Richards and Gary Sobers?
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Seva Lamberdar- Posts : 6594
Join date : 2012-11-29 -
Re: [Max]
by MaxEntropy_Man Tue Sep 26, 2017 7:39 pm
I have tremendous admiration for Sobers. Besides being a great all rounder he was also a great captain. He had the good fortune of inheriting a great team from Sir Frank Worrell, a member of the great 'W' trio who had put West Indies cricket on a firm long term path to greatness. But I have never watched him play live.
Having said that in my active cricket watching days in India, Viv Richards was certainly the most destructive batsman I have had the good fortune of watching. He could tear a bowling attack apart with a combination of great power and immense grace. To watch him come to the crease was quite a sight. He would come swaggering in, whirling his bat, take guard, and then walk down the pitch and tap it a few times with his bat while looking menacingly at the bowler. It was great drama. And of course the menace was real. The speed with which he would shred great bowling attacks was quite a sight. And he had no fear. None at all. He was most definitely the most entertaining batsman I have watched live in a cricket ground. As a batsman, his accomplishments far exceed Sobers's. He also played against Lillee and Thommo two of the greatest fast bowlers to every play the game earlier in his career and then Imran and Akram. He scored runs against all of them.
Having said that in my active cricket watching days in India, Viv Richards was certainly the most destructive batsman I have had the good fortune of watching. He could tear a bowling attack apart with a combination of great power and immense grace. To watch him come to the crease was quite a sight. He would come swaggering in, whirling his bat, take guard, and then walk down the pitch and tap it a few times with his bat while looking menacingly at the bowler. It was great drama. And of course the menace was real. The speed with which he would shred great bowling attacks was quite a sight. And he had no fear. None at all. He was most definitely the most entertaining batsman I have watched live in a cricket ground. As a batsman, his accomplishments far exceed Sobers's. He also played against Lillee and Thommo two of the greatest fast bowlers to every play the game earlier in his career and then Imran and Akram. He scored runs against all of them.
MaxEntropy_Man- Posts : 14702
Join date : 2011-04-28
Re: [Max]
by MaxEntropy_Man Tue Sep 26, 2017 7:47 pm
The one Indian player all West Indian players including Viv feared the most was Sunny. He scored plenty of runs against the greatest pace attack in the world at the time (perhaps of all time). Sunny usually opened the batting, but on occasion maybe because he was not feeling well he decided to go three drop. The guy at the other end when he came in was Navjot Sidhu playing what I think was his debut test. The Windies had dismissed the first three batsmen for naught and Sunny had to come in very early anyway. When he came in, Viv who was captaining the team ran up to him and made a funny quip. Listen to Sidhu narrate the story:
MaxEntropy_Man- Posts : 14702
Join date : 2011-04-28
Re: [Max]
by MaxEntropy_Man Tue Sep 26, 2017 7:50 pm
Viv on Sunny:
Sunny had a very different style than Viv. Tremendous technical precision rather than power, but Viv was a great student of the game to recognize and appreciate Sunny's greatness. Plus Viv never had to play the greatest fast bowlers of his time in tests because they played in his team.
Sunny had a very different style than Viv. Tremendous technical precision rather than power, but Viv was a great student of the game to recognize and appreciate Sunny's greatness. Plus Viv never had to play the greatest fast bowlers of his time in tests because they played in his team.
MaxEntropy_Man- Posts : 14702
Join date : 2011-04-28
Re: [Max]
by silvermani Wed Sep 27, 2017 12:48 pm
Both Sobers and Richards have excellent batting records in Test cricket. Those who have seen both play rate Sobers Higher. Some say he was the most naturally talented cricketer ever. He used to party till the wee hours of the morning of a match and still play like a champ on the field. Sunny Gavaskar spoke very highly of him in his book. There was an Australia Vs Rest of the World series in the early 70s. Sobers was at the tail end of his career while Lillee was at his fiercest. Sobers made a double century in that series which is considered one of the best innings ever on Aussie soil.
Here's a small video which dwells on this innings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SzfWtTZOtA
I watched Richards bat and cannot recollect any other batsman who inspired fear in the opposition like him. Tendulkar, Kohli, etc are excellent batsmen and bowlers jump for joy getting their wicket but they don't have that fear factor which Richards possessed. Maybe part of his aura was the confidence that he had a fearsome pace brigade to back him up. He could destroy spin and pace alike. He never wore a helmet, which shows his confidence levels. (Sobers never wore a helmet either, they became common after his career ended). Here's a video showing his battles with Lillee and Devon Malcolm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0FzcFooGPc
Here's a small video which dwells on this innings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SzfWtTZOtA
I watched Richards bat and cannot recollect any other batsman who inspired fear in the opposition like him. Tendulkar, Kohli, etc are excellent batsmen and bowlers jump for joy getting their wicket but they don't have that fear factor which Richards possessed. Maybe part of his aura was the confidence that he had a fearsome pace brigade to back him up. He could destroy spin and pace alike. He never wore a helmet, which shows his confidence levels. (Sobers never wore a helmet either, they became common after his career ended). Here's a video showing his battles with Lillee and Devon Malcolm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0FzcFooGPc
silvermani- Posts : 1631
Join date : 2014-01-18
Re: [Max]
by MaxEntropy_Man Wed Sep 27, 2017 1:15 pm
Gavaskar never wore a helmet either. He made a concession towards the end of his career and wore a visor of sorts and a forearm guard, but never a helmet.
MaxEntropy_Man- Posts : 14702
Join date : 2011-04-28
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