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Former India opener Sudhir Naik, who had represented the country in three Test matches in 1974, died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday after suffering from a bout of brief illness, confirmed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) sources. He was 78 years old and is survived by his daughter.
His death was mourned by one and all, including one former Team India cricketer in star pacer Zaheer Khan, who shared a picture of his first-ever chat with the legendary batter, which he said paved his career in the sport.
"My first interaction with Sudhir Naik sir not only paved the way for my career in cricket but also changed my life forever. I will always be indebted to him for his trust and belief in me. He will be my mentor and guide wherever he is, Rest in peace, Sir," Zaheer captioned the post.
As irony would have it, when the 1972 Ranji season started, Naik was dropped from the playing XI as the main batters were back in the squad.
In 1974, he went on a fateful tour of England and made his debut in Birmingham Test where he got his only half-century -77 in the second innings in a losing cause.
He played 85 first-class games and scored nearly 4500 runs(4376) at an average of 35 plus and seven hundred including a double ton.
He however suffered a lot as the erstwhile BCCI in the 1970s was very weak in stature and filled with subservient creatures who didn't protest when he was wrongly accused of stealing two pairs of socks at a London departmental store.
He did play an active role in later years as a coach and was a big influence in Zaheer Khan's career as he brought him to play cricket in Mumbai and provided him with requisite exposure He was also a chairman of the Mumbai selection committee and in later years worked as a curator of Wankhede Stadium free of cost.
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