Former Bengal and India spinner Dilip Doshi passed away in London on Monday following a brief illness. He was 77 and is survived by his wife Kalindi, son Nayan and daughter Vishakha.
The left-arm spinner, called ‘Prince’ by his teammates because of his smart ways, bowled with a classical action and was known for his control and accuracy. He reached 100 wickets in only 28 Tests which portrayed his skills and commitment.
Besides Bengal, he also played first-class cricket for Saurashtra, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.
“He hadn’t been keeping well for the last few days because of cold. He was taken to a hospital in London on Monday morning where he passed away in the afternoon following a cardiac arrest,” his brother Parimal, who resides in the city, told The Telegraph.
Doshi had been oscillating between London and Rajkot since his retirement and participated in the Calcutta Club The Telegraph National Debate earlier this year. He was last seen in public during the World Test Championship final at Lord’s.
A late bloomer because of the famous Indian spin quartet in the Sixties and Seventies, he made his debut under Sunil Gavaskar’s captaincy against Australia in Chennai in September 1979 at the age of 32.
He was heavily influenced by West Indies legend Garfield Sobers at Nottinghamshire. “Dilip Doshi has an immeasurable knowledge to pass on to those who want to follow his path into professional cricket. He has played at all levels over the world and there can be no one more qualified to talk about the art of spin bowling,” Sobers had been quoted as saying.
One of his finest moments came during the Melbourne Test of 1981 when his five wickets helped India to draw the series 1-1. He played the Test with a fractured toe and considered it to be his best performance on the international stage.
After retirement, Doshi wrote an honest and compelling account in a revealing autobiography, Spin Punch.
Niranjan Shah, a former secretary of the BCCI and a close associate of Doshi in Saurashtra, expressed grief. “It is a personal loss for me.”
