India, March 12 -- Syed Abid Ali, former all-rounder and a key member of the Indian cricket team who applied the finishing touches to two memorable overseas Test wins that echoed beyond the playing fields, passed away in the United States on Wednesday aged 83.

The player from Hyderabad played 29 Tests and five ODIs, making vital contributions with bat and ball. A utility cricketer, Abid Ali would do just about everything India needed on a cricket field - he opened the bowling with his medium pace, and opened the batting in seven of the Tests he played. A brilliant fielder, he was known to snap up difficult catches at leg-slip against spin, and was also a quick runner between the wickets.

In his debut Test against Australia in Adelaide i...