Former teammates and rivals -- including three of his India captains -- on the life and skills of Mohammad Shahid. Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys For Sale .Zafar Iqbal, former India captain:??All of us from one generation are very sad today. We have lost one of our teammates, one of the best players to have ever played for India, one of the most talented and generous. But even more than that, I will always think of him as my partner -- Shahid and I played together for seven years.We had a very strong bond, though he was four years younger than me, joined the team after I did and was a shy and a simple guy. We played up front together and whenever we would meet again, we would talk about the old days -- the good and the bad. And have a laugh.He was a terrific player, and throughout his stint with the national team, at the Olympics and I always thought he was such an extraordinary dribbler and the reason he didnt score many goals himself was because he was just too fast. He would do all the work for us up front, and be the creator, make the defence go one way, and then pass the ball the other onwards to his teammate who would score. For instance, at the 1980 Olympics, our top scorer was Surinder Singh Sodhi, but I would say that almost every goal of his was created by Shahid.When I think about it now, if Shahid hadnt played as well as he did in 1980, we would have been in great trouble. Against Spain and Poland [both pool matches were drawn 2-2, while India beat Spain 4-3 in the final] and Soviet Union [which India won 4-2], he thrived in the opponents defence, he was simply brilliant. They just couldnt understand what he was doing. His turning was extraordinary. Entire defences would be wrong-footed. He was a genius.I had a chance to meet him once when he was in hospital and remember him asking me, Zafarbhai, aapka golf kaisa chal raha hai (How is your golf going on)? I told him not to get anxious about the hospital and the ICU and he replied, Nahin, zaroor theek ho jaayenge (Dont worry, I will recover). Even then his condition was quite critical. Last night, I rushed back from Aligarh to see the family. We knew that it was all over. Goodbye, partner, rest in peace.MM Somaya, former India captain: This has come as an absolute shock to all of us. We played together for about 10 years and he was my teammate in three Olympics [1980, 1984 and 1988]. I went to see him about two-three weeks back, and I had mentally prepared myself for this day. But it is still too shocking for all of us.During my time, he was the best and most gifted of hockey players. He was a crowd-puller, and he was a great attraction for the crowd. More than that, he was an excellent person too. He was serious on the field, but away from it, he was always in a light-hearted mood. He always kept us regaled with his jokes.V Baskaran, former India captain: Today I lost a great friend. He was my room partner during the four-nation event in Kuala Lumpur in 1979. He was just 19 years old, but such a skilful player. He was taking on the great defenders of the world -- Munawwar uz Zaman, Akhtar Rasool. I dont think anybody in current hockey can compare to him.Shahid didnt like to mark. He would just say to me, Mera ball de dena, jo kuch karna hoga, main kar loonga (Just give me the ball, and leave the rest to me). He also played very well in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where his duel with Australian captain Ric Charlesworth was brilliant. Charlesworth was the inside right, and he kept trying to bottle up Shahid. But he never felt any pressure. In fact, it was always his opponents who felt the pressure.He was a great team-man and a great soul.MK Kaushik, former teammate and former Indian womens team coach: Weve lost a great player to say the least. The way he used to dribble past defenders, taking them on the wrong foot, was completely incredible. He was talented, hard-working and confident on the field. He had a great sense of humour and more importantly was a great human being. For me the loss is even more profound since we shared a very close friendship. He was the No. 1 player of his time and his contribution to Indias performance at the 1980 Olympics is unforgettable.Ric Charlesworth, former Australia captain: Im deeply sad to hear about Shahids demise. He was one of the most wonderful, skillful and mesmerizing players Ive ever played against. He certainly did give me a tough time. In the early 1980s when Indian hockey was at its strongest for the last time, he was the central plank of it. For India, Ajitpal [Singh] was a marvellous organizer and creator in the middle of the field, then there was Zafar Iqbal who had dangerous penetration. Shahids ability to deceive and create something out of nothing was amazing. Also impressive was his ball control. With him around we never knew what to expect. You would think he was going one way but he would change course before you knew it.(As told to Debayan Sen and Susan Ninan) Baseball Jerseys China . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Cheap Baseball Jerseys Authentic . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. http://www.cheapbaseballjerseysstore.com/ . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. DENVER -- Kansas State found strength in numbers.D.J. Johnson had 19 points to lead six Wildcats scoring in double figures, and Kansas State pulled away in the second half to beat Colorado State 89-70 Saturday.Barry Brown had 14 points and Xavier Sneed added 12 for Kansas State (10-1), which won its fifth in a row since its loss to Maryland on Nov. 26.Johnson, who fouled out with just under two minutes remaining, also had 10 rebounds for his third career double-double.You get six guys in double figures, assists to turnovers of 17 to 9, and our rebounding was a huge thing, said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber. We got some timely offensive rebounds and a great start to the second half that broke their spirits.Prentiss Nixon had 30 points to lead Colorado State (8-3).Up by seven at the break, Kansas State stretched its lead 58-41 with a 14-4 run to open the second half. The surge featured two 3-pointers by Kamau Stokes and Johnson rim-rattling, one-handed dunk off an offensive rebound.By the time Johnson converted a 3-point play with 9:33 left, the Wildcats were up by 20 points, and the Rams could make little headway the rest of the way.I feel we have not peaked, but I feel we are in a good place, Brown said. We got a lot of guys involved. A lot of guys in double figures. The bench really picked us up and gave us a lot of energy in the first half and we carried it over to the second half.Nixon said a lackluster defensive effort was at thhe center of the Rams double-digit loss. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys. We werent guarding anybody, Nixon said. They were getting open looks. We played terribly.Kansas State led 44-37 at halftime, using a 9-0 run to surge in front after Nixons 3-pointer had pulled the Rams to within a point.Brown capped the burst by converting a 3-point play.BIG PICTUREKansas State: A Wildcats strength this season has been their balanced scoring and it was once again on display in their latest victory. The game marked the eighth time this season that at least four Wildcats had scored in double figures.Colorado State: Nixon led all scorers with his 30-point game but it wasnt enough to keep up against the diversified offensive display by the Wildcats. The Rams were hurt by turnovers (14) and defensive breakdowns that saw Colorado State allow a season high in points.ONGOING UPSIDETheir strong start notwithstanding, Johnson said he continues to see an upside for the Wildcats. I think we played well as we have, he said. I thought our defense lagged a little bit in the first half. There is always room for improvement.UP NEXTKansas State: Rounds out its non-conference schedule by hosting Gardner-Webb on Wednesday night.Colorado State: Finishes a five-game home stand by returning to Moby Arena on the Fort Collins campus and hosting Loyola Marymount. 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