Indian spin great Dilip Doshi has died aged 77, with former cricketers praising a man they said had been a “gentleman to the core”.

Doshi died in London on Monday, Indian media reported.

The left-arm spinner was already in his thirties when he made his Test debut in 1979, and finished with 114 wickets in 33 matches.

Doshi also played 15 one-day internationals for India between 1980 and 1982.

Cricket veteran Sachin Tendulkar said Doshi was a “warm-hearted soul”, adding that he “will miss those cricketing conversations”.

Former all-rounder Ravi Shastri said that Doshi was “a gentleman to the core and a fine, fine bowler”.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also paid tribute to the former spinner.

A bespectacled Doshi carried forward the Indian spin legacy started by the famous quartet of Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar.

Doshi bamboozled world batsmen and played English County cricket, with a long stint with Nottinghamshire.