Syed Abid Ali: An Ideal Team Man

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 14 March 2025 The Indian youth of today, weaned on the exploits of Rohit, Virat and Bumrah, may not be able to relate to the name of all-rounder Syed Abid Ali, but the old-timers and connoisseurs of cricket will surely be sad to learn that he's no more. He breathed his last on March 12 at the age of 83. Syed Abid Ali, a versatile Indian cricketer ----- A versatile cricketer who could have played more, Abid Ali played in 29 Tests and five One Day Internationals for India. He had the feet of a sprinter, the energy of a marathon runner and the will of a decathlete, but his misfortune was that he was born 20 years too early. His game was made or ordered for one-day cricket. A recognized all-rounder, he bowled brisk medium-pace, fielded outstandingly and was a busy lower-order batsman who ran between the wickets as if on invisible skates. Abid was distinctly unlucky because the era he played in belonged to Bedi, Prasanna, Chandra and Venkat. It won't be wrong to say that he played choirboy to the spin quartet. While he was playing, no one cared for the Indian cricket team. It was at the bottom of the barrel among all Test-playing countries. There were no real pacers, though it's an irony that when India played its first official Test against England in 1932, it had genuine pacers like Amar Singh and Muhammad Nissar who not only troubled frontline English batsmen but also dismissed them cheaply. After them, there was just Ramakant Desai, a pint-sized 'pacer', who gained a modicum of fame as an Indian 'pacer' who could bowl bouncers! The Indian cricket team used 'pacers' to make the 'red cherry' old for the spinners. In other words, the 'pacers' such as Eknath Solkar (!) and even Sunil Gavaskar (!) were used as shine-off bowlers. In such a dull and hopeless scenario, Abid Ali's pace and sharp cutters didn't make a huge impression because Indians were not ready for real pace. India being a poor team, didn't get to play frequent Test cricket. Test matches would be played after long gaps. Yet, Abid Ali was admired for his all-round abilities by the legendary cricket scribe Christopher Martin Jenkins, great commentators and journalists John Arlott and Tony Cozier and the peerless Sir Garfield Sobers. Abid Ali’s career ended abruptly when he was at his peak, after he top-scored with 70 from No. 7 and took 2 for 35 against New Zealand in the 1975 World Cup. A bizarre postscript to this premature curtailment came when he had the dubious pleasure of reading his own obituary after his death was mistakenly announced on the air by his former teammate Farokh Engineer! He took some incredible catches in the leg cordon adding an even sharper edge to the wonderful spin quartet. Abid Ali was part of an illustrious group of Hyderabad cricketers that included M A K Pataudi, M L Jaisimha and Abbas Ali Baig. It must be mentioned that Abid Ali was part of the great India sides that scripted famous first series wins in the West Indies and England in 1970-71 under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar. He had the distinction of scoring the winning runs at the historic Port-of-Spain and Oval Tests. Always a self-effacing person, Abid Ali remained away from limelight and concentrated on cricket and coaching. He was an ideal team man. Today's cricketers should try to emulate his example. It's an obituary. Abid Ali passed away on March 12. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/abid-ali-ideal-team-man/d/134870 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism