| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Abbas Ali Baig | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1939-03-19)19 March 1939 (age 85) Hyderabad,British India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Leg break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 93) | 23 July 1959 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 31 December 1966 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1954–1976 | Hyderabad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1962 | Oxford University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1960–1962 | Somerset | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:CricketArchive,21 November 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abbas Ali Baigpronunciationⓘ (born 19 March 1939) is anIndian formercricketer who played in 10Tests between 1959 and 1967. In a career spanning 21 years, he scored 12,367 runs infirst-class cricket at an average of 34.16. Hecoached the Indian cricket team during itstour to Australia in 1991–92 and the1992 Cricket World Cup.[1]
Born inHyderabad,Hyderabad State,British India, Baig made hisfirst-class debut during the1954–55 Ranji Trophy, againstAndhra Pradesh.[2] In his next match againstMysore, he scored 105 and 43 not out.[3] At the end of the tournament, he ended up as his team's second-highest run scorer, scoring 187 runs at an average of 62.33.[4]
In the late 1950s, Baig moved to England and went toUniversity College, Oxford.[5] In 1959, he played 15 first-class matches for theuniversity team. During this time, he scored 221 not out and 87 againstFree Foresters and brokeDerrick De Saram's aggregate of 283 runs—208 and 75—to become the highest run scorer for the team in a first-class match.[a] It was during this timeIndia toured England. In the fourth match of the series, Baig was "summoned" to play for India, replacing the injuredVijay Manjrekar.[7] Aged 20 years and 131 days, Baig became the youngest Indian cricketer toscore a century on debut when he made 112 in India's second innings.[8] It was also the first century by an Indian debutant outside India.[9] Despite another century fromPolly Umrigar, India lost the match.[7] However, Baig retained his place in the team for the final match of the series. He also set the record for becoming the first batsman to score a century in the 4th innings of a test match on test debut.[10][11]
Following the series in England, Baig was included in the Indian squad for thehome series against Australia later that year. In the second Test atKanpur, he scored 19 and 36 runs in both the innings. The match marked India's first Test victory againstAustralia.[12] In the first innings of the next match atBombay, he scored 50 and was involved in a crucial 133-run partnership withNari Contractor. Baig followed that with another half-century in the second innings when he made 58. His half-centuries helped India secure adraw.[13] During a break in India's second innings, when Baig walked to the pavilion along withRamnath Kenny, he was kissed on his cheek by a young woman spectator,[7] becoming the first Indian cricketer to be kissed on the field.[14]Vijay Merchant who was commentating then remarked "I wonder where all these enterprising young ladies were when I was scoring my hundreds and two hundreds."[15] A painting called "The Kissing of Abbas Ali Baig", depicting the incident was featured inSalman Rushdie's novelThe Moor's Last Sigh (1995).[16] Baig's success in the 1959/60 season led to him being named as one ofIndian Cricket's five "Cricketers of the Year".[17]
In the following season, Baig had an unsuccessful outing against Pakistan, managing to score just 34 runs in four innings. This led to him being dropped from the side for the subsequent series. During this time, it was said he received hate mail for under-performing against fellow Muslims.[18] However, he was impressive in the domestic circuit, scoring heavily in theRanji andDuleep Trophy tournaments. In 1966, he was included in the team for the home series against West Indies. Baig scored 48 runs in two of the Tests he played in the series. He was dropped again and never played Test cricket again. He almost made it to the squad for the1971 tour of West Indies before being dropped. He was selected in theIndian team that toured England in 1971.
Baig's three younger brothers—Murtuza Baig,Mazhar Baig, and Mujtaba Baig—all played cricket at a high level. Murtuza played first-class cricket for Hyderabad but was less successful than Abbas.[19]
| Preceded by | Indian National Cricket Manager October 1991 – September 1992 | Succeeded by |