Sudhir Naik

A courageous right-hand opening batsman, Sudhir Naik went as one of the candidates for the opening batsman's slot on the 1974 tour of England. He did well in the first-class matches, scoring 730 runs (40.55) and forced his way into the team for the final Test at Edgbaston, but his preparations could hardly have been worse as he appeared in court and was fined for stealing socks from a London store. Out for 4 in the first innings, Naik batted in gritty fashion in a losing cause in the second innings to top-score with 77. Back home he played in two more Tests against West Indies but after scores of 48, 6, 0, 6 was discarded for good.

For Bombay, however, Naik did very well and in the Ranji Trophy he scored 2687 runs (40.10) with a highest score of 200 not out against Baroda in 1973-74. But perhaps Naik's biggest distinction was that he led Bombay to an unexpected Ranji Trophy triumph in 1970-71. It was a badly depleted side with the stars being away with the Indian team in the West Indies. But Naik making adroit use of the limited resources proved himself to be an astute captain.
Partab Ramchand