Gavaskar names two bowlers he feared the most, picks the best batter of his era
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is considered as one of the greatest cricketers to have ever played the game. Great because he played cricket during tough pitches, without a helmet, and faced intimidating fast bowling against teams such as West Indies, Australia and England. The cricket-turned commentator was the first player to score 10,000 Test runs and has set the benchmark high for other players.
The former opening batter faced the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Dennis Lillee, Ian Botham and Jeff Thomson, all bowlers who would easily clock speeds above 140 and be a handful for any of the players with their intimidating pace and bounce. Gavaskar would face all of this chin music without the protective gear and display a fearless brand of cricket.
The pitches in West Indies and Australia aid the bowlers and while the rest of the batters struggled, Gavaskar used to stand tall and often be the thorn in the flesh of the opponent. In a recent interaction on the Cricket Analyst Show on YouTube, the 71-year-old was asked to name the two deadliest fast bowlers of his generation whom he ‘feared.’
Andy had the great ability to get you out even if you’re past a 100: Sunil Gavaskar
“Two bowlers whom I feared in terms or pace, and quality of bowling. In terms of pace, I think Jeff Thomson was the quickest and in terms of the ability to get you out any time, it was Andy Roberts, with Malcolm Marshall, Richard Hadlee and Imran Khan just a bit below. But Andy had the great ability to get you out even if you’re past a 100. He was the bowler you had to be most watchful against,” Gavaskar said.
While Thomson was widely regarded as the quickest bowler during that era, Roberts was known for his accuracy and nagging line and lengths. Gavaskar was also asked to pick the two best batters and his choice is the same as the other experts and cricketers.
“Who was the best batsman that I saw? I think everybody agrees that it is Viv Richards for the way he dominated the opposition attack. Just took the game away. So he’s got to be the best opposition batsman that I have seen,” said Gavaskar.
