Salim Durani, the first cricketer to win the Arjuna Award, passed away on Sunday at his home in Jamnagar. The stylish all-rounder, who represented India in 29 test matches, played for Saurashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan in domestic cricket. Famous for hitting sixes on crowd demand, Durani, one of the most good-looking cricketers of that era (1960s and ’70s), also starred in the film Charitra (1973) opposite Parveen Babi. In a chat with us, former Indian cricketers Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan, self-confessed “huge fans” of Durani, tell us what made the dashing all-rounder so special.
He was a six-hitting machine at a time when people played defensive cricket: Irfan Pathan
Yusuf (Pathan) and I grew up listening to stories of his heroics on the cricket field and it really inspired both of us. At a time when people played defensive cricket, Salim Durani was a six-hitting machine and he would hit sixes at will whenever the crowd demanded. It’s a pity that T20 cricket didn’t exist back then because had the format been around, Salim bhai would have created some amazing records. He shared a very warm relationship with our family. Even though he was not in the best of health, he attended all the weddings in our family (Yusuf’s, mine, and our sister’s). He would come a day prior to the wedding and enjoy it with us. As a player, his confidence was just unbelievable. Once, he told the captain that he would get Clive Lloyd and Gary Sobers, two of the all-time greats in the history of our game, out the next day and he actually did that! He was in regular touch with Yusuf and whenever we spoke, he would tell us that he feels delighted to see the way Indian cricket has grown over the years. When he played for India, they hardly earned anything but the passion to do well for the country kept them going. I will remember him as a fearless cricketer who always believed that he could compete against the best in the world and win.
I have learnt a lot from his on-field attitude and fighting spirit: Yusuf Pathan
While I haven’t watched him play, I am aware of his achievements and I have always been a huge fan of Salim bhai. We met for the first time in 2008 and we had stayed in regular touch since then. I really liked him as a person and as an all-rounder, he delivered whenever the team needed it the most. I have learnt a lot from his on-field attitude and fighting spirit. Off the field, he was one of the most charming and stylish persons around and thanks to the kind of human being he was, woh hamesha logon ke dil mein rahenge. Whenever we spoke about my game, he told me to never change the way I played, and I always remembered that advice while playing for India.
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