Former India opener, noted coach and curator Sudhir Naik passes away, aged 78
New Delhi, Apr 5: Former India opener Sudhir Naik, who played three Test matches in 1974, died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday after brief illness, confirmed Mumbai Cricket Association sources.
He was 78 and is survived by his daughter.
"Recently, he fell on bathroom floor and sustained a head injury after which he was admitted to a Mumbai hospital. He slipped into a coma and never recovered," a MCA source, who regularly tracked his health updates, told PTI.
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.
Naik's leadership was highly commended as Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy that season without stars like Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Sardesai, Ashok Mankad.
As irony would have it, when the 1972 Ranji season started, Naik was dropped from playing XI as the main batters were back in the squad.
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.
He played 85 first class games and scored nearly 4500 runs (4376) at an average of 35 plus and seven hundred including a double ton.
He, however, suffered a lot as the erstwhile BCCI in 1970s was very weak in stature and filled with subservient creatures who didn't protest when he was wrongly accused of stealing two pairs of socks at a London departmental store.
In fact, Gavaskar had written in his book 'Sunny Days' that Naik shouldn't have pleaded guilty in front of the magistrate and should have been given a good lawyer to fight the false accusation that tarnished his reputation.
He was a tough character and just after the incident scored the gritty Test half-century. But in the days of musical chair in Indian cricket, his international career didn't last beyond 1974.
He did play an active role in later years as a coach and was a big influence in Zaheer Khan's career as he brought him to play cricket in Mumbai and provided him with requisite exposure
He was also a chairman of Mumbai selection committee and in later years worked as a curator of Wankhede Stadium free of cost.
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Malegaon blast: Pragya Thakur faces new warrant after skipping court date again
Mumbai, Nov 13: A special court here on Wednesday issued a fresh bailable warrant against former BJP MP Pragya Thakur, a prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, as she failed to appear before it citing health issues.
This was the second warrant issued this month against Thakur by the special court for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases.
On November 5, the court had issued a warrant against her for failing to attend the proceedings, and directed her to appear on November 13.
On Wednesday, Thakur's lawyer J P Mishra told the court that she could not appear as she was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bhopal.
He also submitted related medical records.
The judge then issued a fresh bailable warrant of Rs 10,000 and directed her to remain present in the court on December 2.
The trial is at the fag end, and the court has repeatedly asked all the accused to remain present for daily hearings.
Six people were killed and more than 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town in north Maharashtra about 200 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008.
Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and five others are on trial in the case for their alleged involvement in the blast conspiracy.
