Former India cricketer Yashpal Sharma passes away due to heart attack

Former India cricketer and a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad, Yashpal Sharma, has passed away due to a heart attack, according to reports. Yashpal Sharma was 66 and represented India from 1979 to 1985.

Yashpal Sharma played 37 Tests and 42 ODIs for India, scoring 1606 and 883 runs respectively. He scored two hundreds in Test matches and four half-centuries in the one-day format.

Yashpal Sharma age and cricket stats

Born in Ludhiana, Punjab on August 11, 1954, Yashpal Sharma had an impressive first-class career. He played 160 matches in which he scored 8933 runs at an average of 44.88 with 21 hundreds.

Yashpal Sharma’s finest moment came at the 1983 World Cup, when he played a key role in India’s historic triumph in England. He was the man of the match for his brilliant knock of 89 in the league clash against West Indies in Manchester. India made 262 for 8 in the match and won the game by 34 runs as the Windies were bowled over for 228. The win set the tone for India at the World Cup.

The middle-order batter contributed a run-a-ball 40 in the thumping 118-run victory over Australia at Chelmsford. Yashpal Sharma also top-scored with 61 as India chased down 214 in the semi-final of the 1983 World Cup against England in Manchester.

He was dismissed for 11 in the final against West Indies but India went on to register a famous win, lifting the World Cup following a 43-run triumph at Lord’s.

Yashpal Sharma played his last ODI against England in Chandigarh in 1985. His last Test was against West Indies in Delhi in 1983.

His highest Test score of 140 was registered against England in Chennai in 1982. Yashpal Sharma featured in a mammoth 316-run stand with Gundappa Viswanath during this Test.

Tributes flow in for Yashpal Sharma on Twitter

Twitterati were in shock as news of Yashpal Sharma’s demise started doing the rounds. A number of fans paid tribute to the 1983 World Cup hero.

Here are some of the Twitter reactions to Yashpal Sharma’s death:

Apart from representing India as a player, Yashpal Sharma also served as a national selector. He was also a renowned commentator and analyst.


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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava


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