Salim Durani, the suave Indian cricketer of the 1960s, renowned for his striking looks resembling a movie star, passed away on Sunday. He was 88. The cricketer had been battling cancer for the past few months. Born in Kabul, Durani was an exceptional cricketer who wielded his bat with immense power and was also an adept left-arm orthodox bowler. He represented India in 29 Test matches and played a pivotal role in India's historic 2-0 victory against England in the five-match Test series of 1961-62. Durani played a crucial part in the triumph by securing eight and ten wickets respectively in India's victories at Calcutta and Madras. He had seven fifties to his name in the fifty innings he played for the country, amassing a total of 1,202 runs, although he scored only one century. Apart from cricket, Durani also had a brief stint in Bollywood, where he shared screen space with the renowned actor Praveen Babi in the movie
