Hyderabad: India have lost an all-rounder in the true sense of the word in the passing of Syed Abid Ali, former Test cricketer of the 1960s and ’70s Indian team. Abid Ali was 83 and died of prolonged illness in Tracy, US, on Wednesday. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
Old timers aver that Abid Ali was so versatile that he could open the bowling, batting, was an excellent fielder and he could also keep wickets – a prototype cricketer of the limited overs game that was to come in the future. He actually started as a wicketkeeper. That Abid Ali aggregated 8,732 runs in 212 first-class matches with 13 centuries and claimed 397 wickets with 14 fifers is an indication of his prowess on the field.
Having caught the eye in local circles for his fielding prowess at school in St. George’s Grammar and All Saints’ – later made more famous by Mohammed Azharuddin – Abid Ali made the Hyderabad Schools’ team in 1956 before making his first-class debut for Hyderabad in 1959-60.
He was part of an excellent band of cricketers from Hyderabad that included MAK Pataudi, ML Jaisimha and Abbas Ali Baig, and a regular in the State Bank team, a veritable Indian team then with the likes of Ajit Wadekar and GR Viswanath, at the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup.
One of the rare people to have read their own obituraries – former teammate Farokh Engineer once mistakenly announced his death following a heart bypass surgery, on air in 1996 – Abid Ali made instant impact on his Test debut against Australia in Adelaide in the 1967-68 series, claiming 5/55, the best by an Indian debutant at that time. He opened the batting in the third Test in Brisbane, scored 47 and followed it up with 81 and 78 in the final Test of the series in Sydney.
With great emphasis on fitness when it was far from fashionable in the sport, Abid Ali scored 1,018 runs and claimed 47 wickets in 29 Tests for India between 1967-1974. He was also part of the 1975 team for the inaugural World Cup and played five ODIs – many felt that with his effective all-round abilities, Abid Ali’s game would have been ideally suited for the current-day shorter format version.
Former ’70s teammate Sunil Gavaskar led the tributes. Abid Ali was the non-striker when Test debtuant Gavaskar hit the winning runs in Port-of-Spain as India scripted their first-ever series win in the West Indies in 1971. Months later, Abid Ali would do the honours himself, hitting the winning runs to help defeat England in the third Test at the Oval for India’s first series win in England – a glorious chapter in Indian cricket history under the leadership of the late Ajit Wadekar.
“Very sad news. He was a lion-hearted cricketer who did anything the team needed,” said Gavaskar. “Despite being an all-rounder who batted in the middle order, he opened the batting when needed. Took some incredible catches in the leg cordon adding an even sharper edge to our wonderful spin quartet. As a new ball bowler, he has the unique record of getting a wicket with the first ball of a Test match twice if memory serves me right. He loved the tip and run and when promoted up the order in my debut Test match this tactic resulted in some overthrows which reduced the pressure considerably. He was a thorough gentleman with impeccable manners who spoke professorially. Heartfelt condolences to his family.”
After retiring – his last Test was against the West Indies in Delhi in 1974 – Abid Ali coached the Hyderabad junior team before shifting to California in 1980. He also coached Maldives and the United Arab Emirates between 2002-2005 and finally took up a coaching assignment with the Stanford Cricket Academy. In 2008, Abid Ali suffered the pain of losing his son Syeed Faaqer Ali, who was married to former India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani’s daughter Nishad Fatima, aged 33.
“Abid bhai, as he was affectionately called, made northern California his home and frequently turned up to play in NCCA A-division cricket. For someone who played at the highest level, he had no airs about turning up for local league cricket in 1980s and 1990s. World cricket has lost a true cricketing gem,” Northern California Cricket Association said.
Former BCCI interim president N Shivlal Yadav recalled Abid Ali’s services. “Hyderabad and Indian cricket have lost a genuine all-rounder. I made my Ranji Trophy debut under his captaincy in 1977. He was playing for India then. He was a very dynamic cricketer. He encouraged me and he brought me into the team,” he reminisced.
Former India off-spinner Arshad Ayub called him an inspiration. “Abid bhai was a very good performer. He has always been an inspiration for young cricketers and a fitness freak. He was probably one of the fittest guys in the Indian team then,” said Ayub. “He made a huge difference to Hyderabad cricket. He did great given his limitations, playing 29 Tests in those days was a big thing.”
PR Man Singh, manager of the 1983 World Cup winning Indian team and who played against Abid Ali in HCA leagues, lauded his attitude. “A hardworking cricketer with a never-say-die attitude, Abid Ali was a terrific all-rounder.”
MSK Prasad, former chairman of senior selection committee, lauded Abid Ali’s services to Andhra cricket. “During his tenure as Andhra’s coach, he instilled in us the art of winning – transforming us from mere participants into true competitors. Through his relentless efforts, physically and mentally, he developed a winning culture and mentality that stayed with us,” MSK said.
(With inputs from Gaurav Gupta in Mumbai)