Former India test captain Polly Umrigar has died at the age of 80 after losing his battle with cancer, family sources said on Tuesday.

Umrigar played in 59 tests between 1948 and 1962 and was captain for eight of them.

He was the first Indian to hit a test double century and scored 3,631 runs at an average of 42.22, with 12 hundreds and 14 fifties. He also took 35 wickets with his off spin.

Umrigar's double century, 223, came in the drawn first test against New Zealand at home in November 1955.

In a first class career spanning 18 years, Umrigar scored 16,155 runs at 52.28 and took 325 wickets.

After retiring, he served as chairman of national selectors, tour manager and a member of the Indian board.