The life and times of Abid Ali

Just before the Indian team was picked for their 196768 tour of Australia the late sports writer GK Menon had a little bet with his sports editor KN Prabhu over whether Syed Abid Ali would get into MAK Pataudirsquos touring teamMenon was at the Brabourne Stadium where ML Jaisimharsquos South Zone was tackling Chandu Bordersquos West Zone in the October 2831 1967 Duleep Trophy finalNari Contractor who had not played Test cricket since his head injury on the 196162 tour of the West Indies believed he stood a chance He also scored a hundred off the South Zone attack The selectors picked Abid Ali who claimed four of the six second innings West Zone wickets as his team clinched the trophy on the basis of a first innings lead Menon won his bet and backed Abid Ali to perform well in his first opportunity of the Test series which Prabhu covered from the press boxes in AustraliaThe news of 83yearold Californiabased Abid Alirsquos death arrived on WednesdayAbid Ali grabbed his opportunity and claimed 655 his Test debut scalps including reputed openers Bob Simpson and Bill Lawry Bob Cowper Barry Jarman Graham McKenzie and Johnny Gleeson He also scored 33 in each innings as India led by standin captain Chandu Borde lost the TestBorde was deeply saddened when I delivered news of his teammatersquos passing on Wednesday ldquoAbid was a great contributor to the team He bowled so well in the Adelaide Test I remember the Australian umpiring not being good though Abid was very agile as a fielder a dependable batsman who could indulge in fine strokeplayrdquo said Borde during his evening walk in PuneGrit and determination went hand in hand with Abid Ali In those days when peak fitness was not given the importance as in todayrsquos cricket he ensured he was in top shape Running up and down the stands of Hyderabadrsquos Lal Bahadur Stadium was his favourite fitness regime as was training hard on the Secunderabad Gymkhana groundsHe was probably an unsung hero of Indiarsquos 1971 series wins in the West Indies and England When Dilip Sardesai was dismissed with India 40 runs short of the 124run target at Trinidad skipper Ajit Wadekar promoted Abid Ali to join Test debutant Sunil Gavaskar to help reach the target with no more damage The job was doneAbid Ali told me in an interview that he felt Gavaskar deserved to hit the winning runs in the 1971 Trinidad Test so he tapped a full toss when India were on the verge of victory to give the young star the honour of hitting the winning runsHis turn came at The Oval a few months later and he grabbed it with Farokh Engineer at the other endAbid Alirsquos winning shot mdash a cut off Brian Luckhurst mdash was a surprise for Engineer because it was Abid Ali who kept telling him not to take any risks while guiding India to the fourwicket winldquoIt was an emotional affair I was lifted up by some spectators and I had tears in my eyesldquoWe never ever thought of doing anything other than playing cricket on that tourrdquo he told meIn the several conversations he had with me Abid said he was very proud of what he did in 196768 and on the 1971 tours But the 03 loss to England in 1974 broke him His international career ended after the inaugural World Cup in 1975He expressed his desire to write a book someday and assured the 1974 chapter would be the most controversial one of allTalking of 1974 the photograph of Abid Ali congratulating Gavaskar on his first hundred in England during the Manchester Test of that summer is a memorable one English batting great Denis Compton wrote in Sportsweek that Gavaskarrsquos century in Old Trafford would rank ldquoamong the greatestrdquoAbid Alirsquos innings of 71 attracted praise from Compton as well ldquoWhat tremendous support Ali provided These two smashed the England attack to all parts of the field in their 85run stand for the eighth wicket in Indiarsquos first innings The large Indian contingent loved itmdashof coursemdashbut so did we all for it was batting that we so seldom see these days Alirsquos innings was thrilling and of aggressive strokes He took all the England bowlers by the scruff of the neckrdquoWhen I met Abid Ali for the first time in October 1997 he was not coy to reveal the financial stress he was enduring while living in America an open heart surgery in 1995 not helping mattersAbid Ali was back in Mumbai six months later At the Wankhede Stadium he was presented a purse of R152 lakh after a match between an Indian XI and Arjuna Ranatunga XI All his India teammates I spoke during the charity game waxed eloquent on Abid Alirsquos skills The late Ajit Wadekar his captain from 1971 to 1974 paid him the biggest compliment ldquoHis shooters put the West Indies on the back foot in 1971 I have yet to see a better team man than him Whether it was batting bowling or fieldinghellip he gave his bestrdquo said WadekarAnd thatrsquos exactly how Syed Abid Ali would like to be remembered As for us his admirers we would also want to remember him as a kind man who took the blows of life on his chinmiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzelloSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper