S. S. NAIK


🏏🏏
S. S. NAIK
(21 Feb 1945 – 5 Apr 2023)

Credited for scoring India's first boundary in an ODI - against England at Leeds in 1974 - Bombay's prolific opener Sudhir Sakharam Naik was distinctly unlucky to have played just three Tests...

Regarded as an astute captain, Naik's purple patch was probably when he led Bombay to the Ranji Trophy title in 1970–71, in the absence of the regular players who were doing duty for India in the West Indies...

Making his debut in England in 1974, 141 runs from 6 Test innings, with 77 as highest, and 38 from 2 ODIs are false indicators of Naik's batting prowess when compared to his domestic record. His 4376 runs from 85 games with 7 hundreds and 27 fifties, 200* highest, and 42 catches tell another story...

While it must have been heartbreaking for a promising cricketer to realize his international curtains down in a span of just 6 months, Naik continued to contribute as much as he could to the game as a player, coach, selection committee head, and later as a curator of Wankhede Stadium, without any remuneration...

Doing justice to almost every role that he assumed, Naik was instrumental in spotting talents at his club level who would later wear the India cap - Dilip Vengsarkar, Wasim Jaffer and Nilesh Kulkarni to name a few. Also, it was Naik who propped up Zaheer Khan, one of the finest fast bowlers to play for India...

Naik's most significant contribution probably came as a curator of the Wankhede Stadium, leaving no stone unturned in the making of the reasonably sporting pitch, against all odds, for the 2011 World Cup India-Sri Lanka final...

Admitted to Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital’s ICU following a fall at home, Naik breathed his last this day, two years ago...

🙏🙏🌹💐    🇮🇳

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