On Wednesday, March 12, Syed Abid Ali, a former India cricketer, passed away at the age of 83. Between 1967 and 1975, Abid Ali, one of the best all-round players of his time, played for India in 29 Test matches and five One-Day Internationals.
Abid Ali was a live wire on the field and was regarded as one of the best fielders of his day. India's historic victories in the West Indies and England in 1971 were greatly aided by his more-than-useful batting abilities in the lower-middle order and his efficient medium pace bowling.
Syed Abid Ali was born on September 9, 1941, in Hyderabad and had an impactful debut for India on the tour of Australia in 1967-68. In his Test debut in Adelaide, he took six wickets in the first innings and scored 33 runs in each, but India lost by 146 runs. He handled the baptism by fire with style, finishing with scores of 78 and 81 in a spectacular outing in Sydney.
His five ODI outings were at the first men's ODI World Cup in 1975. In a remarkable effort against New Zealand in Manchester, he scored 98 off 70 balls and grabbed two wickets, demonstrating his all-round abilities.
His former India teammate Sunil Gavaskar paid rich tribute to Syed Abid Ali and called him a "lion-hearted cricketer" and mourning his passing.
"Very sad news. He was a lion-hearted cricketer who did anything the team needed. Despite being an all-rounder who batted in the middle order, he opened the batting when needed. Took some incredible catches in the leg side cordon adding an even sharper edge to our wonderful spin quartet. He was a thorough gentleman with impeccable manners who spoke professorially. Heartfelt condolences to his family,” Gavaskar was quoted by Cricbuzz.
Abid Ali moved to the USA after retiring from the game and coached and mentored budding cricketers. He scored 1018 runs and took 47 wickets in his Test career spanning 29 matches. Over his first-class career spanning 212 matches, Abid Ali amassed 8,732 runs, including 13 centuries, and picked up 397 wickets, with 14 five-wicket hauls.
Not only did Sunil Gavaskar share his condolences on Syed Abid Ali’s passing, but members of the Indian cricket fraternity also took to social media to do the same.
Here are a few posts:
