Sudhir Naik, a right-hand batsman, knew the accurate technique of batting. Sudhir Sakharam Naik, was born on February 21, 1945, at Bombay (now Mumbai), in the state of Maharashtra.
Cricket Career of Sudhir Naik
The year 1974 was a phenomenal year in the career of this former Indian cricketer. He, at that time, played in 3 Tests and 2 One-Day Internationals. Sudhir Naik, started off as a player for the Mumbai University. Afterwards, he was elected the captain of the Tata Oil Mills team, where he used to work as an employee too.
Besides, being a good cricketer, academic brilliance, happened to be a characteristic of this versatile genius. Sudhir, obtained a first class in M Sc Degree in Organic Chemistry from Ruparel College in Mumbai. Naik enriched Mumbai cricket with his feats.
His fame was due to his commendable success in the Ranji Trophy matches. He had a reserve of 2687 runs, scored at an average of 40.10, to boast of. His crowning glory in Ranji circuits was his top score of 200 not out against Baroda in 1973-74.
His value got proved before the world, when his efforts bore the fruits of Mumbai`s red-lettered win of the Ranji Trophy in 1970-71. His captainship dexterity became the prime focus of attention.
The 1974 tour to England, welcomed Sudhir as one of the eligible opening batsman, for the India Team. Sudhir left an indelible impression, as an A-class cricketer, in first-class matches. There, he built a praiseworthy career graph of 730 runs, at an average of 40.55. His demonstration of his capabilities, paved his entrance to the team, for the final Test at Edgbaston. Out for 4 in the first innings, Naik`s bat courageously hit the high -score of 77 runs in the second innings.
His return to home was also followed by his participation in two more matches, wherein, he couldn`t live up to the expectations. His scores were 48, 6, 0 and 6. Sudhir Naik has sustained his inclination towards cricket. He continues as the much-felicitated coach of his own National Cricket Club, Mumbai. His coaching-centre had spawned many illustrious cricketers , such as Zaheer Khan (currently playing in Indian Team), and Wasim Jaffer and many like Rajesh Pawar, Raju Sutar and Paras Mhambrey , all players for Mumbai.
Cricket Statistics
Batting and fielding averages
| Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | Ct | St | |
| Tests | 3 | 6 | 0 | 141 | 77 | 23.50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| ODIs | 2 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 20 | 19.00 | 68 | 55.88 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| First-class | 85 | 139 | 15 | 4376 | 200* | 35.29 | 7 | 27 | 42 | 0 | ||||
| List A | 5 | 4 | 0 | 80 | 27 | 20.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bowling averages
| Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10 | |
| Tests | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ODIs | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| First-class | 85 | 101 | 52 | 3 | 1/0 | 17.33 | 308 | 33.6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| List A | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Since 2005, he has been entrusted with further grave duties of the Ground In charge at the Wankhede Stadium. His job is to look after the wicket and the outfield, and readying it for future cricket matches. It is obvious, that the not only the fans of Sudhir Naik, but also the cricket-specialists have found in Sudhir Naik, perseverance and diligence, apt to give cricket a lot of benefits.
