Dilip Doshi turns 75 with elegance!

Dilip Doshi turns 75 today He is one Indian cricketer who we ought to appreciate more For he was true to his craft put a lot of thought into his cricket and above all was successful to the point that the greatest cricketer ever born ldquowondered like so many others why Dilip did not play more for his country because he was one of the finest bowlers in the world in his primerdquo Yes thatrsquos what Sir Garfield Sobers wrote in Doshirsquos 1991 autobiography Spin PunchWhen Doshi made his debut for India at 31 after years of domestic cricket toil he had big boots to fill It was the September of 1979 and he had to step in for Bishan Singh Bedi who was part of the 1979 Oval Test which India nearly won but was not in the next one India played mdash against the Australians at Chennai a few days laterDoshirsquos Test debut was rewardingmdasha sixwicket haul in the first innings even as the visiting Australian team braved the Chennai heat to pile up 390mdashwith centuries from Allan Border and captain Kim HughesAlso Read Why Palestine haunted FIFA World CupDoshi played 13 Tests in that 197980 home season and ended it with 46 wickets playing a good role in the series wins over Australia and PakistanHis first overseas seriesmdashAustralia in 198081mdashwas fruitful too After the big loss in Sydney India put up a better show in Adelaide where the game ended in a tense draw Sandeep Patil was the batting hero with a first innings 174 but Doshirsquos six wickets in the game included Greg Chappell in both inningsRichie Benaud was certainly impressed and wrote in an Australian Cricket Board publication for the 198081 season ldquoDoshi did it so well on this occasion in Adelaide that by the time the fourth day was over he had bowled 28 overs 10 maidens and taken 327 an outstanding performance from one of the best fingerspinners in the world today There was just enough spin in the pitch for Doshi plus a little uneven bounce and none of the Australian batsmen not even skipper Greg Chappell nor vicecaptain Kim Hughes who made 52 and 53 not out respectively on this fourth day were able to get after himrdquoBenaudrsquos fellow Channel Nine commentator Ian Chappell was moved to predict that Doshi would trouble his brother Greg in the next Test at Melbourne However it was Karsan Ghavri who sent the Australian captain back in both inningsDoshi played the Melbourne Test with a broken toe on his left foot an injury he suffered during the Victoria v Indians game at Geelong before the series finale at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Determined to be part of the team in Melbourne Doshi revealed in his book that he sought the services of Dr Bill Guilliano who was the physio of the Melbourne Football Club Doshirsquos spin partner Shivlal Yadav too was injured a hairline toe fracture Kapil Devrsquos leg injury meant there were three injured players in the playing XI Yet they all played their part in clinching one of the most memorable of overseas Test winsDoshi claimed three in Australiarsquos first innings and had two in the second He opened the bowling with Kapil Dev Australian great Bill OrsquoReilly sitting in the press box was most impressed ldquoDoshi has been absolutely outstanding Taking the new ball against all precept he turned our Australian topline batsmen into timid postulance as they tried unsuccessfully to score runs quickly at a critical stagerdquo wrote the man who Sir Don Bradman called the greatest spinner of his time in the Sydney Morning Herald Indeed it was a courageous show as wellWhen I spoke to Doshi yesterday and asked him about his greatest moment he pointed to the occasions when India won in both forms of the game and there were several But Melbourne 1981 did come upTwentytwo scalps in the 198182 home contest against England was followed by 13 in three Tests during the English summer of 1982 The 198283 tour of Pakistan was where he was dropped for the first time and subsequently he didnrsquot make the tour party for the series in the Caribbean His last Test was the Bangalore game against Zaheer Abbasrsquos 198384 touristsI followed a bit of Doshirsquos career as a teenager and along with those fifers which constituted the 114 Test wickets in 33 Tests I remember some of those 14 ducks Despite those Doshi could be gritty and stubborn with bat in handHe hung around for over an hour for his 48ball 20 when Pakistan had reduced India to 117 for nine keeping Ghavri 45 not out company and helping India to end up with 162Another proud moment as a batsman for Doshi would be his 61minute stay battling a swift Imran Khan in the Kolkata Test of that seriesAn assessment of Doshirsquos cricket career would be incomplete if there is no mention of his county stints with Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire And of course Ranji Trophy cricket for Bengal and Saurashtra He has played club cricket in Mumbai as wellDoshi today is a successful entrepreneur who divides his time between Mumbai and London His friendship with members of The Rolling Stones is well known and the number of their concerts he has attended is countlessOne look at him and yoursquoll realise he values his fitness Never a day goes by without his yoga and pilates sessions and he has been vegan for more than a decadeImpeccable in his appearance Doshi knows what it takes to be well attired In many ways Dilip Rasiklal Doshi is the quintessential complete man a good soul toomiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzelloSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper