November 09, 2006	Thursday	Shawwal 16, 1427

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NEW DELHI, Nov 8: Indian batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday led a galaxy of cricketers in paying glowing tributes to former captain Polly Umrigar who died aged 80.

“The time is not good for Indian cricket and the passing away of Umrigar is another sad event. He was a great cricketer and, more importantly, a perfect gentleman,” Tendulkar said.

Umrigar passed away on Tuesday at a Mumbai hospital after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his widow, two sons and a daughter.

He held three Indian records when he quit Test cricket in 1962 -- most Test appearances, most runs and most hundreds -- before being surpassed by legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar in 1978.

Umrigar, nicknamed the 'Palm-tree hitter' for his ability to clear the grounds on the 1953 tour of the West Indies, played 59 Tests between 1948 and 1962 and made 3,631 runs at an average of 42.22 with 12 centuries.

“It's too shocking for words. I learned a lot from him. He was a fine human being apart from being a great cricketer. His death has left a void which will be difficult to be filled,” said India's chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar.

Umrigar, who also took 35 Test wickets with his off-spin, was the first Indian to score a Test double-century, against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1955.

The middle-order batsman led the country in eight Tests, winning two and losing two with four draws before stepping down against the West Indies in Madras (now Chennai) in 1959 after a misunderstanding with the selectors.

“He was a great cricketer and a great gentleman. He played only 59 Tests in 14 years and held several records. I'm sure he'd achieved more if the frequency of Tests had been what it's today,” said former Indian captain Nari Contractor.

“He was a superb stroke-player, a fine all-rounder and a brilliant fielder.

One-day cricket would have suited him.”Umrigar's best came on the 1962 tour of the West Indies when he took five wickets in an innings and scored a century at Port-of-Spain to become only the second Indian after Vinoo Mankad to achieve such a feat.“He was the best student of the game I have come across and that helped him become a very good captain,” said Chandu Borde, who was Umrigar's team-mate.

Former Test batsman Gundappa Vishwanath said Umrigar always advised youngsters and gave back to the game whatever he gained from it.

“It's one of the saddest days in world cricket. To have played 59 Tests in that era and scored more than 3,500 runs was a tremendous achievement,” he said.

After retirement, Umrigar served Indian cricket as chairman of the selection committee, Team India manager, executive secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and chief curator of the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.

“He was the finest human being among cricketers I've known. Like a doctor to patients, he was one to the game of cricket,” said former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri.—AFP