It's an irreparable loss to Indian cricket and Mumbai Cricket Association. We played together from childhood before graduating to club, national and international cricket as teammates. When I used to stand in the slips, we (in the slip cordon) always expected a catch off his bowling. I consider him as the best fast-medium bowler who played with me during my career. He had all the variations and bowled a stalwart batsmen like Peter May with his skills. I wish he had lived longer and continued to help Mumbai cricket. I am sad that a great fighter and man of principle is no more.

Tiny's bouncers upset many atop batsman at the international level. He could move the ball both ways and was a genuine cutter of the old ball. He was an outstanding bowler who bowled at fast medium-pace. He was also a very useful lower-order bat at No 7 and would have been ideal for today's one-day games. It's very unfortunate that he died at an age when he would have looked forward to a retired life.

Desai had troubled the best of batsmen in the world. He bowled (England's) Peter May twice with similar balls, by making it pitch on the middle and take the off-stump at Leeds and Lord's (in 1959). He had also troubled Pakistan's Hanif (Mohammed) and England's Ken Barrington with his sharp bouncers. Even a batsman of the calibre of West Indian Rohan Kanhai was hit by his deceptive bouncers. He was a nice, docile man on the whole. It is very sad that such an end has come to him.

Tiny baffled some of the world's top batsmen with hispace. He was a gentleman to the core. He was a man of few words but had tremendous knowledge of the game.

Desai was very nippy off the pitch and very deceptive. He was a very unassuming man and outwardly not aggressive. But his aggression showed when he had the ball in his hands.

Dynamite come in a small packages, so too was Desai. He was very sharp and had a beautiful action, one of the best in Indian cricket. His bouncer was extremely deceptive and was very awkward to play as batsmen like Hanif Mohammed, whom Desai troubled the most, found out. He was a mild-tempered person and a thorough gentleman. I have lost a dear friend.

In my era, he was India's best pace bowler. I have never seen him flagging while bowling. He was also very consistent. He could have been a true all-rounder if he had spared some time for his batting, because he wasalready a superb fielder.

Desai had a lethal inswing and during the '59 tour of England, I had found a number of English batsmen afraid of facing him. He was a good man with a kind heart. It was a pleasure to be his captain.

He was my bowling hero as I wanted to be a fast bowler not a politician.

Indian cricket has become poorer by Desai's untimely demise. It's very difficult to fill the void created by his untimely death. He was a man of few words but he was a man of substance. I have been a great admirer of him. He had unlimited knowledge of cricket and Indian cricket has become poorer by his death.

Tiny's emergence on the Test scene in the 1960s came as a whiff of fresh breeze. Though a gentle person, his harmlesslooks were very deceptive as he could work up good pace off the wicket and could unleash a lethal bouncer, something the Pakistani legend Hanif Mohammad, found to his acute discomfort and dismay.