Hyderabad, Aug. 11 -- Former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin hailed the World Cup-winning wicketkeeper-batter Syed Kirmani as the "number one wicketkeeper in the world", pointing out his vital contributions in the 1983 World Cup win and his ability behind the stumps against spinners.

Azharuddin, who played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs for India from 1984-2000, was speaking to ANI at the launch of Kirmani's autobiography, titled Stumped, in Telangana.

Speaking to ANI, Azhar said, "He is the number one wicket-keeper in the world. Such a wicket-keeper was never born. It was not easy for him to do wicketkeeping with four spinners. He took many good catches in the World Cup in 1983."

"Even in the match when Kapil (Dev) scored 175 runs (against ...