Salim Durani, the debonair India cricketer of the 1960s with a movie star looks, a puckish sense of humour, and a penchant for hitting monstrous sixes on demand, died on Sunday at the age of 88.
Salim Durani, the debonair India cricketer of the 1960s with a movie star looks, a puckish sense of humour, and a penchant for hitting monstrous sixes on demand, died on Sunday. He was 88. His death was confirmed by sources close to the family. He had been living with his younger brother, Jahangir Durani, in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Salim Durani had undergone a proximal femoral nail surgery after he broke his thigh bone in a fall in January this year.
The Kabul-born Durani, who packed a punch with his bat and was also a handy left-arm orthodox bowler, played 29 Tests and was instrumental in India defeating England 2-0 in the historic five-match Test series in 1961-62, picking up eight and 10 wickets in the team’s victories at Calcutta and Madras.
Salim Durani, known for his fine dressing style and swagger, scored just one century though he had seven fifties in the 50 innings he played for the country, scoring 1,202 runs.
In his 50 Test innings, he made just the one century, 104 against the West Indies in 1962. He played for Gujarat, Rajasthan and Saurashtra in first-class cricket. He made 14 hundreds in first-class cricket in which he managed 8545 runs at 33.37. Durani had a special rapport with the spectators, who once agitated when he was dropped from the team for the Kanpur Test in 1973, with placards and slogans such as, “No Durani, no test!”
Here’s how Twitter reacted on Salim Durani Death:
“Easily one of the most colourful cricketers of India – Salim Durani. Rest in Peace. Om Shanti,” former India head coach Ravi Shastri tweeted.
“India’s first Arjuna Award winning cricketer and a man who hit sixes on public demand, Salim Durani. Om Shanti. Heartfelt Condolences to his family , friends and loved ones,” ex-India batter VVS Laxman posted on Twitter.
A decade after the epic triumph against England, he played a key role in helping India to victory against the West Indies in Port of Spain, dismissing both Clive Lloyd and Sir Garfield Sobers.
The star cricketer also dabbled in Bollywood, starring opposite renowned actor Praveen Babi in the movie Charitra in 1973.