Syed Abid Ali (Getty Images)

MUMBAI: Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar paid rich tributes to former India allrounder Abid Ali, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 83.
Abid took 47 wickets with his medium pace in the 29 Test matches he played for India.
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Famously, Abid was the batter who was in the middle when India recorded historic Test wins at Port of Spain and the Oval in the golden year of 1971. He allowed Gavaskar, the debutant, to make the winning hit in the first game, and hit the winning boundary himself in the second.
“Very sad news, he was a lion-hearted cricketer who did anything the team needed. Despite being an all-rounder who batted in the middle order he opened the batting when needed. Took some incredible catches in the leg cordon adding an even sharper edge to our wonderful spin quartet. As a new ball bowler, he has the unique record of getting a wicket with the first ball of a Test match twice if memory serves me right,” Gavaskar told TOI about Abid.
“He loved the tip and run and when promoted up the order in my debut Test match this tactic resulted in some overthrows which reduced the pressure considerably. He was a thorough gentleman with impeccable manners who spoke professorially,” Gavaskar said about Abid.
“Heartfelt condolences to his family,” he concluded.