Sudhir Naik, the former India opener, paid rich tributes to his former opening partner Gopal Bose, who passed away yesterday in Birmingham following a cardiac arrest. "Gopal and I batted together on several occasions on the 1974 tour of England and we became good friends. He was a pleasing batsman to watch and although he couldn't be at his best against pace, he was very good while tackling the swinging ball," Naik told mid-day yesterday.

Bose, 71, was the first cricketer from Bengal to figure in an ODI — against England on the same tour. He scored 3757 runs in 78 first-class games with eight hundreds and 17 fifties. His brand of off-spin fetched him 72 wickets. "Apart from being an attractive batsman, Gopal was a thorough gentleman and as I speak, I remember the time when we opened the innings for the Board President's XI against the West Indies at Jaipur in 1974," remarked Naik.