A tap on Gavaskar’s shoulder for luck, Doshi recalls Sobers’ superstitious side

Sir Garfield Sobers could dominate a Cricket field like few others, but the West Indies legend also had a deeply superstitious side.

Commentator Sushil Doshi recalled how Sobers believed touching Sunil Gavaskar’s shoulder before batting would bring him fortune. Doshi, who had the privilege of sharing the commentary box with the West Indies great, spoke to PTI a day after Sobers’ death, recalling the man behind the cricketing genius. He was 89.

Among the many memories Doshi shared was an amusing anecdote from India’s famous 1971 tour of the West Indies, the series in which a young Gavaskar amassed 774 runs.

“Despite all his greatness, there were some things that showed Sobers was only human. And I remember a story that India was playing against West Indies. It was 1971. West Indies was behind 0-1 in the series and it was the last test match. West Indies had to make 262 runs to win. And it was not a difficult task for Gary Sobers. Such a big player he was.”

Sobers, according to Doshi, was convinced Gavaskar was a lucky charm. He believed that a gentle tap on the Indian opener’s shoulder before batting would somehow bring him a century and win West Indies the match.

“Having said that, Sobers used to believe that if he touched Gavaskar’s shoulder, he would go on to score a Century and win the game for his team. He thought Gavaskar was a very luck man.” However, Sobers was not able to locate Gavaskar and ended up getting out cheaply. Behind the unlocatable Gavaskar was India captain Ajit Wadekar, who locked the opener in the bathroom to prevent Sobers from his sight.

“This [Sober’s superstition] was not hidden from the Indian captain Ajit Wadekar. Gary Sobers was coming from the middle of the field to the Indian dressing room,” recalled Doshi. “He immediately said, ‘where is Sunny? Where is Sunny?’ So someone said, he is in the bathroom. He is taking a bath. So he immediately closed the bathroom door and locked it and kept the key in his pocket. That was Ajit Wadekar.”

“So without touching Gavaskar’s shoulder, Sobers left. And look at the game of fate. That day on the first ball Abid Ali bowled, Sobers got out on 0. This shows no matter how great a player you are, there are still some weaknesses,” Doshi said.

Sobers also liked to enjoy life off the field and the stories of him being a party person and a “super dancer” are well documented. “He believed in enjoying life but not at the expense of cricket. He very well knew that his priority was to excel on the field and everything else would follow.

“I remember he came all the way from the West Indies to India to propose to actor Anju Mahendroo. She said no and he quietly went back. “It makes me sad that he is no more. The greatest all-rounder in the game, without a doubt,” added Doshi.