India, Sept. 9 -- He was India's OG 3D cricketer, long before the term "three-dimensional" became a thing. He was the personification of chutzpah at a time when almost every other Indian player remained reserved. He retained that swagger through the highs and lows of his and India's cricket journey. He was India's Australia slayer alongside Sachin Tendulkar, long before VVS Laxman made the Australians his favourite team to bat against. He is one of only 11 Indian players to score 5,000 runs and effect 50 dismissals in ODIs. He is India's 16th-most-capped ODI cricketer; his bowling figures of 3/3 remain one of the country's most economical spells of all time.

All these are exceptional pieces of trivia, but sadly, his career was brought to...