Cricket has always had its share of fierce battles, but few were laced with as much wit and warmth as the legendary exchanges between Javed Miandad and Dilip Doshi.
On Tuesday, a deeply emotional Miandad paid tribute to his “close friend” Doshi, who passed away recently, recalling with fondness the mischief, banter, and friendship that blossomed between the two across one of the sport’s most intense rivalries — India vs Pakistan.
When he used to bowl at the leg-stump, I would start saying ‘bow-wow. When he finally asked what it meant, I told him: ‘Only dogs – and you – try to catch my leg!’
It was 1979. Pakistan were touring India, and a young, cheeky Miandad had found the perfect target for his humour in the reserved and erudite Doshi, who was often tasked with curbing the Pakistani batter’s scoring. Doshi’s response?
A mix of frustration and disbelief — enough to prompt complaints to the umpires and even captain Sunil Gavaskar, who, like the rest of the Indian team, couldn’t help but laugh.
He was from a very sophisticated, highly educated family — always impeccably dressed, his white kit spotless. He wasn’t used to that kind of on-field mischief. It got under his skin, and that only made me tease him more.
One particular exchange became part of subcontinental cricketing folklore. “I once asked him what room number he was staying in at the hotel. He angrily asked why. I told him, ‘I want to hit the ball straight into your room!’”
The harmless barbs became a running theme whenever they met on the field — even years later in English county cricket, when Miandad turned out for Glamorgan and Doshi for Northamptonshire.
Even there, I would keep teasing him. But by then, we had become friends. We met often. He invited me to his house in Kolkata. His wife is also a very kind and decent person.
Though the jokes flew thick and fast, Miandad held nothing but respect for Doshi’s cricketing prowess. “Doshi Saheb took 114 wickets in 33 Tests — that says everything. He played in an era where scoring was slower; imagine what he could have achieved in today's game where batters take more risks.”
Miandad also recalled how Gavaskar would later mimic his “bow-wow” routine with Doshi on Indian television shows, most famously during Comedy Nights with Kapil Sharma, keeping the humour alive for a new generation.
As the news of Doshi’s passing sinks in, Miandad's playful nostalgia gives way to genuine grief. “I am deeply saddened. He was not just a fine cricketer, but a wonderful, cultured human being. My heartfelt condolences to his wife and family. May his soul rest in peace.” (With inputs from Naseem Rajput)
