Many decades ago, Indian cricket was not as financially strong as it is now. Cricketers then did not have the luxury to use an aircraft as a means of transport. Almost always, they took the train to travel the country to play domestic and international matches.
On one such occasion, the great Sunil Gavaskar was inside a second-class sleeper compartment during a winter rail journey. When he woke up in the morning, he was astonished to see that he had been covered by a blanket. Sunil was absolutely sure that he had not carried a blanket with him during the train journey. It took little time for the great opener to realise that this generosity had come from fellow cricketer and teammate who was travelling with him. It was none other than the swashbuckling Salim Durani.
He was a unique cricketer who was a true Afghan who was born in Kabul and ended up as one of the greatest cricketing legends of India. His father had coached the great Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan and Salim’s journey from Kabul to Jamnagar is unique in itself. The Maharaja of Jamnagar had arranged for his ancestors to come to India from Afghanistan. His family travelled between the two countries often. Many years later Salim had the patronage of the royal family of Udaipur.
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Breathtaking performances
Durani was nicknamed prince for his flamboyant batting on the field and for his generosity off it. All his teammates carried stories of his generosity and kindness. My first interaction with Durani was at an unlikely place. The Royal family of Udaipur possesses many marvellous things and among them is the gem — Shikarbadi cricket ground. The ground is next to the family’s private airstrip and is rather picturesque. It is here that I first met Durani in 2000.
He was encouraging young aspiring cricketers to have a full swing of the bat and telling them not to fear getting out. It was typical of Salim Durrani not to take batting too seriously.
During the England tour of India in 1961, Salim hit a breathtaking 71, with two sixes and 10 fours against a strong English bowling side comprising David Allen, Tony Lock, David Smith and Alan Brown. It helped India draw the first Test at the Brabourne. In a Test match in 1973, again against England, Salim hit another 70, once again with two sixes and 10 fours. His first Test ton came against the best Test bowling attack of Hall, Gibbs and Sobers.
Durani always did something special against the best cricket team of his era—The West Indies. His exploits with the ball are part of cricketing folklore.
His two best bowling spells came a decade apart. In the 4th Test at Calcutta aginst England in 1961, Durani took eight wickets in the match to help India win the match by 187 runs.
The second came in 1971 when India played the great West Indian side at Port of Spain. The match was precariously placed mid-way. India desperately needed to bundle the West Indies in the second innings to get a firm grip on the match. Indian captain Ajit Wadekar was a worried man. It is then that Salim said something remarkable. He assured his skipper Wadekar that he would take the prized wickets of Clive Lloyd and Gary Sobers easily. And he kept his word. He had Lloyd caught by none other than Wadekar himself for 15 and he needed no one to claim the most crucial wicket of Gary Sobers. He was clean bowled by Salim for nought leading India to one of their most famous victories.
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Fan favourite
The way Salim batted made him the darling of fans. He was flashy, impulsive and a genius when it came to hitting sixes.
He would hit sixes at will. No wonder Sunil Gavaskar aptly remarked that if Salim ever wrote an autobiography, it would be titled—Ask for a Six.
Durani played 29 test matches for India with a solitary hundred and seven half-centuries. He took 75 test wickets with a best of 10 wickets in a match once. He had 8,500 runs and 484 wickets in first-class cricket with 14 hundreds and 45 half-centuries.
Durani was as popular in his era as Virat Kohli is now. At the height of his fame, he even made his foray into Indian cinema. He acted in two Bollywood movies; one as a leading man opposite Parveen Babi.
Last year, around the same time in 2022, I got a call from ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta to get in touch with Durani for a feature story on the cricketing legend. I was not surprised that Shekhar wanted to reach out to him — Shekhar and the cricket-loving people of his generation knew the genius he was. It was decided that a team would go to Jamnagar to meet him. However, his failing health became a hindrance. It is my regret and I am sure Shekhar’s as well, that we could not do that feature.
His death has brought a tear to my eye. Not only was he a great cricketer, but also a wonderful human being.
Once, Salim’s name did not appear in the team’s list but the fans forced the BCCI to make an exception after the city of Mumbai protested — ‘No Durani, No Test’. He was then given a place, but not in the playing eleven. This led to louder and angrier protests and the Board had to eventually bow down and include him in the playing eleven. And Salim did not let his fans down, scoring a brilliant 70-odd in that match.
I consider myself very lucky to have shaken hands with two cricketers, Sir Gary Sobers and Salim Durani. It was such an honour.
Kush Singh @singhkb is the founder of The Cricket Curry Tour Company. Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)