Such sad news. Definitely the greatest leg spinner of all time and one of the best bowlers of all time. I remember watching him bowl in a test series in South Africa in the 90s, and we were all shocked by not only the turn he managed to generate, but the variety of balls he could bowl, including the deadly googly. I remember him opening the bowling in one of the test matches, which was relatively unheard of at the time (although I'm unable to verify this through some quick searching, so hopefully my memory doesn't deceive me.) Such a joy to watch, even if you were on the opposing team.
Your memory is correct, he indeed opened bowling twice in his career. Once against SA and once against Sri Lanka. Both were 2nd innings though, so by the time the wicket was most likely more deteriorated and perfect for spinning
