Former Indian Cricketer Sudhir Naik Passes Away At The Age Of 78

Former Indian cricketer and Mumbai captain Sudhir Naik passed away in a hospital on Wednesday in Mumbai at the age of 78. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday expressed its grief at the sad demise of Sudhir Naik.

Sudhir Naik suffered a fall at his home in Dadar on Friday, March 24. Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy-winning captain was admitted to Hinduja Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) last week and has been there since. Naik, who had been suffering from illness for some time, breathed his last in a hospital in Mumbai.

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Sudhir Naik has represented India in three Test matches and two ODIs. The 78-year-old scored 141 runs at an average of 23.50 in the longer format and 38 runs in the 50-over format. He became the first Indian batter to score a boundary in an ODI when he smashed four against England at Leeds in 1974.

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The right-handed batter represented Bombay (now Mumbai) in the Ranji Trophy and scored 4376 runs in 85 matches at an average of 35.29, with 7 hundreds and 27 fifties. Naik led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy title in 1971 in the absence of senior players like Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Sardesai, and Ashok Mankad, who were part of the Indian team during the tour of the West Indies.

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After retiring from international cricket, Naik ran the National Cricket Club and nurtured young players who represented India. He produced the biggest stars for India, like Zaheer Khan, Wasim Jaffer, and India’s current bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey. He was the curator of the iconic Wankhede Stadium for many years, including the 2011 World Cup final victory over Sri Lanka.

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The Cricketing Fraternity Paid Tribute To Sudhir Naik

“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.

“We are deeply saddened by the sad demise of Shri Sudhir Naik. His solid contribution – across decades – towards the game shall inspire everyone who wants to take up the sport. The BCCI prays for the departed soul and shares the grief of the family,” said Mr. Roger Binny, President, BCCI.

“I am pained to learn of the passing of Shri Sudhir Naik. This is a big loss and I express my condolences to his family, friends and everyone at the Mumbai Cricket Association. Shri Naik was really passionate and served the game in various capacities be it as a cricketer, coach, curator or administrator. He had a keen eye for talent and helped shape the careers of many cricketers,” said Mr. Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI.

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