A trip down memory lane with Sobers & Co

Caribbeancricketers have enchanted and enticed me from my childhood during my lifelong romance with cricket The first Test match I watched in November of 1948 at the Feroz Shah Kotla involved the West Indies then led by John Goddard while India were captained by Lala AmarnathThe batting prowess of Everton Weekes 779 runs in five Tests in 194849 and Clyde Walcott 452 runs in five Tests of the same series left a lasting impression on the mind of a fledgling cricket fan Destiny so destined that Frank Worrell and Sonny Ramadhin came to India next year with the Commonwealth team and the majestic batsmanship of Worrell and the spin craft of Ramadhin left an indelible imprint on my psycheDuring my recent Caribbean cruise I was invited to commentate in Trinidad for Radio 360 on the two oneday internationals India and West Indies played on August 11 and 14 The thrill of being in the box again extended to a desire to meet the three legends of West Indies cricket on my next port of call ndash Barbados It had been a while since I had met Sir Everton Weekes Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Wes Hall after having seen them in action during the West Indies tours of India sharing the microphone with Sobers as a member of the WorldTel commentary team in 1994 and the friendly encounters with Hall when he managed the touring West Indies teams in 1983 and 1996It was heartening to find Weekes readily agreeing to meet me at his Christ Church residence while recuperating from a heart ailment He was mentally alert remembering how accomplished Vijay Hazare and Polly Umrigar were as batsmen Dattu Phadkar a good fast bowler and highquality spinner Subhash GupteMy meeting with Sobers was scheduled at the Sandy Lane Golf Club in Bridgetown He was comfortably seated on a sofa waiting for my arrival and his sharp memory was commendable for a man who is 83 years of ageHe didnt appear too happy with the state of Caribbean cricket It was a pride to play for your country Personal records did not matter to us The team blazer and cap were so precious Our players are now busy playing in professional leagues and not available for the West Indies team Our cricket needs a total reorganisation he remarkedMy query on the best spinner he ever faced evoked a quick response from the great man Gupte was a clever bowler who bowled three googlies to confuse batsmen with his guile He turned the ball sharply from leg and deceived batsmen with flippers and googlies Sobers also rated Australian mystery spinner Johnny Gleeson whom he faced in the 196869 away series as difficult to tackle Gleeson kept his middle finger concealed to flip the ball at the time of delivery and Bishan Singh Bedi cropped up in our conversation for ringing Sobers to wish him on his July 28 1936 birthday year after yearSobers opined that Dennis Lillee was the best fast bowler he faced and remembered the Western Australian for being ferociously fast his surprise bouncer and one who attacked incessantlySoberss Lilleerelated utterances reminded one of the 197172 Rest of the World v Australia series Down Under where the pace ace had the measure of Sobers early in the series before the allrounder coming good at Melbourne At the historic MCG in the third Test of the series Lillees five for 48 included the wicket of Sobers for a duck Then Sobers sent back Lillee for zero caught by Bedi followed by an epic innings of 254 The feisty Australia returned figures of 3 for 133 and those three wickets did not include Sobers Test crickets greatest allround player also had complimentary words for the efforts of Kapil Dev as well as current captain Virat KohliSobers has been busy playing promoting and hosting an invitation golf tournament played on three golf courses Sandy Lane Royal Westmoreland and Barbados Golf Club It was so satisfying to learn that an annual international schoolboys cricket tournament is being organisedA warm handshake from the man who scored 8032 runs claimed 235 wickets pouched 109 catches slammed the onetime highest score record of 365 runs bowled fast medium spin back of the hand chinaman and fielded brilliantly at short leg in Test was the best parting gift to meHall insisted I meet him at his Cane Garden St James residence The pictures of 196061 Tied Test in Brisbane and his bowling action revived memories of the bygone days He was happy to see the Indian team armed with so many good fast bowlers While Jasprit Bumrah impressed him the most he eulogised Kohli both for his batting and aggressive captaincy The dinner dished out by Hall was symbolic of our friendship across 50 yearsMeanwhile Cricket West Indies CWI has done well to honour wellknown commentator Joseph Reds Perreira for his contribution to cricket coverage in the electronic and print media for 60 yearsRicky Skerritt President of Cricket West Indies presented a memento to the iconic commentator during the lunch session of the second Test between India and West Indies at Sabina Park Kingston While accepting his honour Reds was graceful to remember two deceased colleagues ndashTony Cozier and Tony BeccaAlong with Cozier Reds dominated the panorama of cricket commentary in the Caribbean A voice clear and loud has boomed through radios across the world through 450 international matches that included five cricket World Cups and Olympic GamesReds spent his formative years in the small unknown and neglected Guyanese village of Pomeroon located on the banks of Essequibo riverHis father was a farmer who used to grow coffee and oranges and carried the produce along with timber and cargo to Barbados and Trinidad in a boat built by him He spent his childhood fishing and sailingReds conquered a stammering problem by rigorous deep breathing exercises with apologies to speech therapists and selfconfidence He started with imaginary commentary So out of the ashes emerged the phoenix now known as Reds PerreiraHe is now settled in St Lucia where he works for the Ministry of Tourism The walking encyclopedia of sports is a philanthropist establishing the Reds Perreira Sports Foundation in 2004It was yet another fascinating trip to my favourite region And while boarding my flight to New York from Barbadoss Grantley Adams airport the famous lines of Harry Belafontes famous song the Jamaica Farewell rang loud in my ears Sad to say Im on my way wont be back for many a dayProf Ravi Chaturvedi 81 is a longtime WI cricket fan who has done radio commentary in the Caribbean as well as India and AustraliaCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates