Former India opener Sudhir Naik, who played three Test matches for India back in 1974 and served as a coach and curator, died aged 78, know his death reason, age and biography
The Mumbai Cricket Association confirmed the news about the death of the former cricketer.
Cricketer Sudhir Naik passed away, death reason, biography, age, family and career stats
Sudhir Naik, former India opener and Mumbai’s 1970-71 Ranji Trophy-winning captain passed away at a city hospital on Wednesday. He was 78.
Rest in peace.
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— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) April 5, 2023
Former India opener and Mumbai’s 1970-71 Ranji Trophy-winning captain #SudhirNaik passed away in Mumbai.
Sudhir Naik played 3 Tests and 2 ODIs for India (1974-75)
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— Niche Sports (@Niche_Sports) April 5, 2023
Back when he was a player, Sudhir Naik was an immensely respected figure among the Mumbai cricket circles.
Sudhir Naik cause of death
According to sources, Sudhir Naik reportedly passed away in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday following a brief illness. Naik was 78 years old at the time of his passing and leaves behind his daughter.
A source of the MCA stated:
Recently, he fell on bathroom floor and sustained a head injury after which he was admitted to Mumbai hospital. He slipped into coma and never recovered.”
Sudhir Naik career stats
Sudhir Naik was a Ranji Trophy winning captain who led the team to glory during the 1970-71 season. It was Naik’s leadership that helped Mumbai win the Ranji Trophy that season in teh absence of stars like Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Sardesai, and Ashok Mankad.
Ironically, Naik was dropped from the playing XI at the start of the 1972 Ranji season as the main batters returned in the squad. Naik made his debut in Birmingham Test back in 1974, when he featured on a fateful tour of England.
Despite the team losing, he scored his first and only half-century -77 in the second innings. Naik went on to play 85 first class games and scored almost 4500 runs (4376). He scored this at an average of 35 plus and seven hundred including a double ton.
Sudhir Naik theft scandal
Sudhir Naik suffered a lot during his playing career, as the BCCI back then in 1970 was very weak unlike the present team. The BCCI failed to protest and support Naik when he was wrongly accused of stealing two pairs of socks from a London departmental store.
Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar wrote in Sunny Days that Naik shouldn’t have plead guilty in front of the magistrate. He added that Naik should have been given a good lawyer to fight the false accusation, which tarnished his reputation.
However, Naik was a truly tough character and scored his aforementioned Test half-century just following the incident. However, Indian cricket was a mess back then and his international career didn’t go beyond 1974.
Retirement
Following his retirement, Naik played an active role in later years as a coach. He was a big influence on Zaheer Khan’s career and even personally brought him to play cricket in Mumbai. His actions gave Zaheer Khan with the requisite exposure that he needed.
Besides serving as a coach, Naik was served as chairman of the Mumbai selection committee. In later years, he also worked as a curator for the Wankhede Stadium free of cost.
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