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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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
