He did well in the first-class matches, scoring 730 runs (40.55) and forced his way into the team for the final Test at Edgbaston.
Naik started his career by playing for Bombay University and later went on to captain the Tata Oil Mills team where he was an employee.
He remained active in the game as the coach at his own National Cricket Club, Mumbai which has produced star cricketers for India like Zaheer Khan and Wasim Jaffer and many like Rajesh Pawar, Raju Sutar and Paras Mhambrey who are past and present players for Mumbai.
He prepared the much-praised pitch and outfield at the Wankhede Cricket Ground in Mumbai on which the final of the 2011 World Cup was played.
India won the World Cup and Naik's efforts were clearly one of the most important factors in the entertaining day's play.