India and England players wore black armbands during the third ODI at Lord’s on Sunday to pay tribute to Sir Garfield Sobers, one of cricket’s greatest-ever players. Before the start of the match, both teams observed a minute’s silence as the stadium announcer remembered Sobers’ remarkable achievements and contribution to the game.

Sobers passed away at his home in Barbados on Friday (July 17) at the age of 89.

The cricketing legend played international cricket from 1954 to 1974 and is widely regarded as one of the finest all-rounders the sport has ever seen. During his 93-Test career, he made an impact with the bat, ball and in the field, setting standards that inspired generations of cricketers.

One of Sobers’ biggest strengths was his versatility. He could bowl left-arm fast-medium, left-arm orthodox spin and left-arm wrist spin, making him a unique player. With the bat, he scored 8,032 runs in Test cricket at an outstanding average of 57.78. His record included 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries. His unbeaten 365 against Pakistan in 1958 was the highest individual score in Test cricket at the time and remained a world record for 36 years.

Sobers was equally valuable with the ball and in the field. He picked up 235 Test wickets at an average of 34.03 and often changed his bowling style depending on the match situation. He also took 109 catches in Tests. He captained the West Indies in 39 Test matches and was awarded a knighthood in 1975 for his outstanding services to cricket.

England played a major role throughout his career. Sobers made his Test debut against England in 1954 when he was only 17 years old and also played his final Test against them in 1974. He also enjoyed a successful county career with Nottinghamshire between 1968 and 1974. During that period, he became the first batter in first-class cricket to hit six sixes in one over, achieving the milestone against Glamorgan bowler Malcolm Nash in 1968.

Sobers also produced outstanding performances against India. In 18 Test matches, he scored 1,920 runs at an impressive average of 83.47, including seven centuries, with a highest score of 198. He also claimed 23 wickets against India. Interestingly, his first-class debut came at the age of 16 against a touring Indian team, where he announced his arrival by taking seven wickets.

India vs England 3rd ODI

England captain Harry Brook won the toss and opted to bat against India in the ODI series decider. The hosts are featuring with one change as Josh Tongue came in place of Saqib Mahmood. On the other hand, India are featuring with three changes as Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar missed out due to injury, and Shivam Dube was benched. 

India vs England playing XIs

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue


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