Salim Durani: Indian cricketer of Afghan origin, who became the first player to receive the Arjuna Award.

Salim Durani Biography: It has always been difficult to make a place in the Indian cricket team, especially when the player is from a country where cricket is not very popular. The story of Salim Durani is an example of this passion and hard work. His journey from being born in Afghanistan to playing for India was inspiring.

Journey from Afghanistan to India

Salim Durrani was born on 11 December 1934 in Khyber Pass. His father Abdul Aziz Durrani was a professional cricketer. Impressed by his talent during his visit to Karachi in 1935, Jam Sahib Digvijaysingh Ranjitsingh of Nawanagar offered him a job. After this his family settled in Jamnagar. Salim came to India in his childhood and was brought up here. After the partition of 1947, his father moved to Pakistan, but the family remained in India.

The rise of a brilliant all-rounder

Salim Durrani was an excellent all-rounder. He was a left-handed batsman and slow left-arm spin bowler. His specialty was to hit big sixes, due to which he remained very popular among the audience. He made his Test debut for the Indian team in 1960 and played a total of 29 Test matches till 1973. During this period, he scored 1202 runs in 50 innings, which included 1 century and 7 half-centuries. He also took 75 wickets in his name.

Hero of historic victory

Salim Durrani was the hero of India’s historic series win against England in 1961–62. In the Kolkata and Chennai Tests, he led the team to victory by taking 8 and 10 wickets respectively. Apart from this, he also played a key role in India’s first win against West Indies in Port of Spain. In this match, he proved his usefulness by taking the wickets of legendary players like Clive Lloyd and Gary Sobers.

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Salim Durrani was the first player in Indian cricket history to be honored with the Arjuna Award. Apart from this, in 2011 he got C.K. Nayudu was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is considered a big honor in Indian cricket. Salim Durrani died on 2 April 2023 due to cancer at the age of 88. His story even today teaches that on the basis of passion and hard work, any player can make his mark and create history.

With IANS inputs