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By:

C.S. Krishnamurthy

21 June 2025 at 2:15:51 pm

The Gentleman Legend

Every sport produces champions. Very few produce figures who become the measure by which all future greatness is judged. Sir Garfield Sobers belonged to that rare company. His passing leaves untouched a reputation that has remained unchallenged for generations. Cricket has witnessed magnificent batsmen, devastating bowlers, athletic fielders and exceptional all-rounders. Yet, whenever the conversation turns to the most complete cricketer the game has produced, Garfield Sobers remains the...

The Gentleman Legend

Every sport produces champions. Very few produce figures who become the measure by which all future greatness is judged. Sir Garfield Sobers belonged to that rare company. His passing leaves untouched a reputation that has remained unchallenged for generations. Cricket has witnessed magnificent batsmen, devastating bowlers, athletic fielders and exceptional all-rounders. Yet, whenever the conversation turns to the most complete cricketer the game has produced, Garfield Sobers remains the benchmark. His achievements have long been part of cricketing folklore. More than 8,000 Test runs at an average above 57, 235 wickets with three distinct styles of left arm bowling, and over 100 catches speak of a player blessed with extraordinary versatility. His unbeaten 365 against Pakistan in 1958 stood as the highest individual Test score for more than 36 years, an innings that reflected both technical brilliance and remarkable concentration. Statistics, however, explain only part of the story. Sobers possessed the rare ability to make difficult things appear effortless. Whether unfurling a cover drive, bowling with the new ball, switching seamlessly to spin as conditions demanded, or producing moments of brilliance in the field, he seemed to play cricket with uncommon ease. He was not merely adaptable. He excelled in every discipline the game offered. Little wonder that generations have searched for “the next Sobers.” Equally little wonder that none has truly emerged. Enduring Legacy One of the defining images of his career came in 1968 when, playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan, he became the first cricketer to strike six sixes in a single first-class over. It was an astonishing feat in an era when such aggression was almost unimaginable. Today, boundaries arrive in abundance in franchise cricket. Sobers accomplished the extraordinary long before power hitting became fashionable. Yet his enduring appeal rested on far more than spectacular performances. He played with an infectious sense of freedom that reminded spectators that cricket, despite its pressures, remained a game to be enjoyed. There was elegance without extravagance, confidence without arrogance, and authority without intimidation. The old sporting maxim that "form is temporary, class is permanent" found one of its finest expressions in Sobers. His class lay not only in the manner of his batting or bowling, but also in his conduct. He accepted victories without arrogance and setbacks without bitterness, a rare blend of grace that won him admirers far beyond the boundary ropes. As captain, Sobers led the West Indies during a formative period in Caribbean cricket. The years of complete dominance would come later, but he helped build the confidence and identity that shaped one of the game's greatest teams. Leadership, for him, was never about rhetoric. It was about setting an example. Many anecdotes continue to illuminate his remarkable career. One of the most enduring suggests that if someone were asked to choose a team to save the world, Sobers would be selected first and the rest could follow. It is an exaggeration, certainly, but it captures the esteem in which he was held by teammates, rivals and followers alike. There is another story that reveals the man behind the legend. Throughout his retirement, Sobers remained remarkably approachable, generous with his time and willing to engage with young cricketers wherever he travelled. Knighthood never altered his simplicity. Those who met him often spoke first of his warmth, and only then of his greatness. His affection for India was equally well known, and it was warmly reciprocated. Older cricket followers vividly remember his performances on Indian soil, while younger generations came to know him through stories told by parents, coaches and commentators. Across eras, the verdict remained unchanged. Modern cricket celebrates specialists whose workloads are carefully managed. Sobers represented an age when versatility was indispensable. He responded to every challenge his captain presented without complaint and invariably strengthened the side. “They broke the mould after him” is a phrase often used too freely in sport. In Sobers’ case, it feels entirely justified. Cricket has lost one of its finest ambassadors. The scorebooks will preserve his runs, wickets and catches. Archives will preserve the images. Historians will preserve the achievements. What cannot be fully preserved is the privilege of watching a player who expanded the possibilities of the game while embodying its finest values. Sir Garfield Sobers was not simply the greatest all-round cricketer of his time. He was one of cricket's finest gentlemen. That distinction, perhaps even more than his remarkable records, ensures that his legacy will endure for generations. (The writer is a retired banker and author. Views personal.)

Lateral upgrade to ailing annihilation

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Lateral upgrade to ailing annihilation

Being the first person from the private sector to be appointed as chairperson of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as part of the government’s lateral initiative, Madhabi Puri Buch also holds the honour of being the first woman to hold the top post as capital market regulator.

But the laurels that the former private sector banker enjoyed in her earlier stint with ICICI Bank, was marred with allegations that she and her husband were having a stake in offshore entities, which were used to artificially inflate shares of Adani group companies.

Terming the allegation as `character assassination, Buch clarified that all disclosures have already been furnished and the fund in question did not invest in any securities involving the Adani group.

When it rains, it pours. This allegation was subsequently followed by Congress Party allegation that Buch had received salary and post-retirement benefits from ICICI Bank after she quit the private sector bank.

In its clarification to the stock exchanges, ICICI Bank asserted that the payments made to Buch were purely retirement benefits after her exit from the bank and they were neither salary nor employee stock options.

Prior to these allegations, Buch tenure at SEBI was all about bringing in quick reforms on operational issues by changing the format of consultation paper to bring in larger responses digitally. Being data savvy, the rationale of her decisions were democratic based on big data analysis derived from the responses received to the consultation papers.

Further she bifurcated the duties of the SEBI staff between operations and enforcement, which were done by the same persons earlier. Having worked for the private sector in the capital market domain space, Buch had a better understanding of the subject compared to officers from the administrative service in the past that reflected even in her orders as a whole-time director at SEBI before becoming the chairperson. As a whole time director at SEBI, her orders on adjudication issues were more directional to the capital market space, according to experts in the compliance space. She was also quick to revamp the old provisions of the 90s at SEBI.

Being tech and data savvy, Buch enhanced regulatory surveillance and detection of market manipulation, insider trading and fraud while also emphasizing on strengthening corporate governance by introducing stricter rules for independent directors and enhancing disclosures for related-party transactions.

To put in perspective, the annual report of the capital market regulator in the just concluded financial year revealed that the number of investigations related to insider trading jumped to 175 in 2023-24 from 85 in the preceding year while probes related to front running jumped over three times to 83 from 24 in the preceding year.

Transparency in mutual funds by implementing measures to protect retail investors along with tightening norms for initial public offers, particularly in the SME platforms were some of her other positive initiatives including confirmation of denial of any market rumours within 24 hours for the top 100 listed companies which will be extended to top 250 companies from December 1. However increased transparency and compliance with tightening regulations led to increased operational costs for the market participants and hence faced resistance from certain quarters. Born in 1966, Buch completed her primary education in Mumbai and graduated with specialization in Mathematics from Delhi and later obtained a management degree from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. In between, she got engaged to Dhawal Buch, a director at a consumer goods multinational at the age of eighteen and got married at the age of 21.

Besides ICICI Bank, Buch also worked as a lecturer at a college in England, worked at Greater Pacific Capital in Singapore and ICICI Securities as its CEO. She also worked as executive director on several private sector companies and as a consultant for New Development Bank (Brics Bank).

What now remains to be seen, is whether Buch, who survived the 26/11 terror attack when she along with her husband, was attending a meeting at Taj, be able to overcome the current ordeal. Keeping fingers crossed for the times to come.

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