Sudhir Naik
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A brief profile
Sudhir Naik was a former Indian cricketer and coach, born on September 22, 1945, in Mumbai, India. He played as a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. Naik played 3 test matches and 2 ODI matches for the Indian cricket team between 1974 and 1976.
After retiring from playing cricket, Naik became a cricket coach and has coached several teams, including the Mumbai and Kerala Ranji Trophy teams, and the Indian women's cricket team. He was also known for being the coach of Sachin Tendulkar during his formative years.
In addition to his coaching career, Naik had also served as a national selector for the Indian cricket team. He had been involved in cricket administration in Mumbai and was the chairman of the Mumbai Cricket Association's Cricket Improvement Committee.
Naik had been recognized for his contributions to Indian cricket and was awarded the Dronacharya Award, India's highest award for coaches, in 2009.
Some achievements
April 6, 2023: The Times of India
Naik played three Test matches and two ODIs in the 1970s.
Naik was an immensely respected figure in the Mumbai cricket circles and a Ranji Trophy-winning captain when he led the team to blue-riband glory in the 1970-71 season.
It was Naik, who hit the first four for India in ODIs in England in 1974 at Headingley, Leeds.
A Mumbai stalwart who donned different hats and carried out various responsibilities, Naik, famously led a depleted Mumbai to Ranji Trophy triumph in 1971 when the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Sardesai and Ashok Mankad were creating history in the Caribbean.
He played 85 first-class games and scored 4376 runs at an average of 35 plus and hit seven hundreds, including a top score of 200 not out.
In 1974, he went on a fateful tour of England and made his debut in the Birmingham Test where he got his only half-century (77) in the second innings in a losing cause.
Post his playing days, Naik played an ever-bigger role in Mumbai. Managing the affairs of the National Cricket Club, he was instrumental in shaping and nurturing the careers of Zaheer Khan, Wasim Jaffer and Nilesh Kulkarni, apart from a number of players who went on to play for Mumbai.
Naik's contribution to get the Wankhede Stadium World Cup-ready in 2011 is also widely recognised.
(With agency inputs)
