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Former India opener Sudhir Naik passes away
Naik also excelled as a coach, administrator, selector and curator.
Sudhir Naik, the former India opener and Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy-winning captain, passed away in a city hospital on Wednesday. He was 78. A straight-talking man who wore multiple hats and ruffled a few feathers with the single-minded objective of uplifting Mumbai cricket, Naik also excelled as coach, administrator, selector and curator of the pitch that the 2011 World Cup final was played on.
Naik was admitted to Hinduja Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit last week after suffering a fall inside his residence in Dadar, where he lived alone after his wife passed away a few years back.
Although Naik excelled in almost every role in cricket, he will be best remembered as the person who gave the country one of its greatest fast bowlers in Zaheer Khan.
“He was someone who guided me. During my first conversation with him, he told me, ‘I will play you in all the A Division games’, which I had no clue about as I had just come from Srirampur to Mumbai. He was eager to see how the future was going to evolve for me, and that was something very special. I just followed his cue,” Zaheer Khan said.
"He actually told the National CC captain that 'he is going to play all the games'. That is the way he was, very clear in his thought process, and a very uncomplicated personality. He played different roles: as a pitch curator he had the knack of preparing very good pitches, at the Wankhede Stadium and the National CC pitch was one of the best wickets on Mumbai maidans.
“He was very passionate about the game and very passionate about supporting cricketers,” said Zaheer.
A gritty opening batter, Naik played three Tests and two ODIs for India and has amassed 4,376 runs in his 85 first-class matches for Mumbai while also leading them to the 1970-71 Ranji Trophy triumph.
The right-handed batter earned his national call-up during India's 1974 tour of England under Ajit Wadekar. Making his debut in the series' third Test partnering Sunil Gavaskar, Naik scored a fighting 165-ball 77 in the second innings—the top score for India—in a losing cause. Naik played two more Tests at home before being dropped.
He continued to rake up the runs for Mumbai, notching up 2,687 runs at an average of 40 in the Ranji Trophy which also included an unbeaten 200 against Baroda in 1973-74. A sharp cricketing mind, Naik's leadership was crucial in Mumbai bagging the 1970-71 Ranji title.
“He was my first captain at the Tata Sports Club team back in 1976," said former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar. "We had a lot of big partnerships playing for Tatas and Mumbai; we shared a 250-run first-wicket partnership against Baroda in only my second Ranji Trophy where I scored 125. We were also members of the Mumbai selection committee for a long time. A very straightforward person, his contribution to his club (National CC) and Mumbai, first as a player and later as an administrator, was quite remarkable.”
Apart from Zaheer, Naik's National Cricket Club, also produced the likes of Wasim Jaffer and Nilesh Kulkarni, among others, who continued to turn up for the club.
“As a coach, he guided several cricketers at his club who went on to play for India. He was always there when you needed any advice," Jaffer said. “He is a stalwart of Mumbai cricket. His contribution is immense, first as a player, then as a coach and in other roles as well.”
Among his most significant contributions would come as a curator of the Wankhede Stadium. Naik was instrumental in the making of the quality pitch and, against all odds, delivering the iconic 2011 World Cup India-Sri Lanka final on a well-balanced track.
Racing against time to get the playing area prepared amid the construction work at the stadium, Naik completed the job within six months.
"I don't think Wankhede would have been able to stage the World Cup in 2011 but for Sudhir Naik. He really gave his best for six months; I don't think he saw what time it was. The ground was ready only because of him," said veteran administrator Prof. Ratnakar Shetty.
“He was a very good pitch curator who had tremendous knowledge of how to make good cricket wickets,” Vengsarkar added. “He did that for Wankhede Stadium relentlessly and without any expectation.”
Given how tough a personality Naik was, the National CC cricketers are in shock that their sir has lost the battle. Zaheer, who had paid him a visit at the hospital, the very next day he was admitted, said: "As soon as I came to know (of his fall) I was there. He recognised me and was trying to have a conversation. It was very sad to see him like that, but he was a strong personality and we were hoping that he will get through, looking forward to his recovery.
"I was planning to go tomorrow to see him, but just now I heard (about his passing asway). It's a big loss for me personally, He has been a special person in my life."
