Former India cricketer Yashpal Sharma passed away on Tuesday (July 13, 2021) of a cardiac arrest at the age of 66. The right-handed batsman’s former teammates Dilip Vengsarkar and Kapil Dev mourned the sad demise of Sharma who played an important role in India’s World Cup win in 1983.
Kapil who captained the Indian team in the 1983 World Cup was in tears. “I won’t be able to speak,” he told PTI.
“It is unbelievable. He was the fittest among all of us. I had asked him that day when we met how about his routine. He was a vegetarian, teetotaller, used to have soup for his dinner and very particular about his morning walks. I am just shocked,” former India captain Vengsarkar told PTI.
Former spinner Balwinder Singh Sandhu said that the 83 team is like a family and they have lost a family member.
“Shocking, this is the worst news that I have received. It is like ... 83 team is like a family, one of our family members is no more, it is so shocking,” Sandhu told PTI.“...we had three tours together and there are a lot of memories, which I cannot speak right now. I am so saddened by this news. But we will all miss him, that is for sure. I’ll pray for his soul to rest in peace,” he further added.
Yashpal who notched up a fifty in the semi-final of the World Cup in 1983 that helped India register a place in the final and eventually lift the title is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.