Garfield Sobers was the greatest all-rounder of all time. Over 93 Tests, he smashed 8,032 runs, took 235 wickets and scored 109, a gem in the league. But during India’s 1971 tour of the Caribbean, the West Indian players dropped out Sunil Gavaskar at least three times, providing an unprecedented fillip to the role of a young opener who is playing his first Test series. Gavaskar, who described Sobers as “the greatest cricketer I have ever seen” in his book ‘Idols’, detailed the missed opportunities in his autobiography ‘Sunny Days’.“I was happy to see Sobers’ grass slowly drifting away from Holder as I tried to chase him back. Sobers fell in the attempt but lost the ball. This was a lucky break,” he wrote. The opportunity presented itself when Sunny was in his 20s and scored 65 on debut. It was the same Test where India recorded their first win against the West Indies in Trinidad. Sobers also had a hand, in fact, in Gavaskar getting his first ton. The opener wrote, “When I was about to approach the first century, dark clouds began to gather and began to fall. The game continued, however, at 94 I survived what might have been an easy catch.”It happened that Sunny played in front of an escape from Jack Noreiga. “The ball swung and bounced, hit me on my glove and went to Sobers, who could have taken the toy if he had stood where he was before the ball was delivered. But Garry, expecting my strike in front of the defence, went forward,” wrote Gavaskar. Sobers missed it. “At the end, Gary stood in front of me and said, ‘Maan, why are you following me, can’t you find another player?’ He had knocked me down three times so far and this last one was very easy.Sunny scored 116.But the great West Indian did everything with enthusiasm. Gavaskar scored 124 and 220 in the last Test, taking his run to 774 in the series. “When I got home, Sobers slapped me on my hat and smiled,” Sunny said. The two players were in the same side, Rest of the World, against Australia in 1971-72. Sobers’ 254 v. Lillee and Co. in Melbourne he was described by Donald Bradman as “the greatest since the War”. And yet “the interesting thing is that she has never worn a thigh protector in her life,” wrote Sunny.