Salim Durani would have gone for maximum in IPL auction today: Sunil Gavaskar | Cricket News – Times of India

AHMEDABAD/MUMBAI: Jaypalsinh Jadeja, who was among the few people who took care of Salim Durani during his last days in Jamnagar, recalled the batting exploits of the left-hander on Sunday.
“In 1971, the Ranji centenary match was organized in Jamnagar. Australian cricketers Ross Edwards and Bob Massie too had come. The team included the legendary Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Abid Ali, M L Jaisimha, Eknath Solkar and Sunil Gavaskar. But the spectators had come to see Salim Durani bat, and the left-hander didn’t disappoint. His knock of 75 included sixes hit which went out of the ground,” Jadeja said.
Legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar said he was “fortunate” to have made his debut (back in 1971 in the West Indies) with a star-studded Indian team, which had the great all-rounder in it as a senior member.

Referring to Durani as ‘Salim uncle,’ he told TOI, “One of the greatest-ever and the nicest, nicest, nicest of men. So generous. I was fortunate and blessed to have made my debut in a team which had players like like ALW (Ajit Wadekar), MLJ (ML Jaisimha), Prassie (Erapalli Prasanna), Sardee maan (Dilip Sardesai) and Salim uncle to
name a few.”
Gavaskar added: “He would have gone for maximum at an IPL auction today.” Former left-arm seamer Karsan Ghavri said Durani had a massive impact on cricket fans those days. “In 1972-73, when England came here under Tony Lewis, they were to play a Test at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay (now Mumbai).
That was the first time I saw him play in a Test. Initially, he wasn’t named in the 14 for that Test. However, following massive protests by the cricket-loving public of Bombay and media pressure (TOI carried a big headline: No Salim Durani, no Test match in Bombay), the BCCI was forced to include him in the squad as the 15th member.

Once he was in the 15, he had to be included in the XI. Fans had threatened they would burn down the stadium and the BCCI office if he didn’t play in the match!” recalled Ghavri.
“I saw that match while sitting in the North Stand. He scored 73. He gave tadi (dominated) to the likes of Derek Underwood and Pat Pocock. In that Test, he famously hit sixes wherever the crowd wanted him to hit! That was the level of his popularity,” said Ghavri.
Narrating another incident, the former left-arm seamer said, “Those two balls he bowled to dismiss Gary Sobers and Clive Lloyd turned out to be historical deliveries’ in the 1971 victory at Port-of-Spain.

He told his roommate Dilip Sardesai the previous innings about his wish to get Sobers out. When Sobers came to bat, Sardesai passed on that message to Wadekar, and suggested he bring Durani on.
Wadekar accepted that suggestion, and…. the rest, as they say, is history.
If that was not enough, he hit a hundred against a West Indian attack which included Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith.”
On January 13 this year, Durani had undergone proximal femoral nail surgery on his broken thigh bone to treat a fall he suffered at his home.

“After this surgery, he was advised bed rest. For two months, he was okay. He used to take solid food. But two weeks back, he started avoiding solid food, presumably because of digestive issues or total lack of physical activity.He started taking liquid food but grew weak,” said Jaypalsinh Jadeja.
Durani was the first cricketer to be bestowed with the Arjuna Award, India’s second highest sporting honour.
In 2011, the BCCI honoured Durani with the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.