Picture Credit: Twitter/@BCCI
While the Indian team have been eliminated from the ongoing T20 World Cup, they still have a match to be played against Namibia which is underway. And although captain Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to field first, the members of the side were seen wearing a black armband to mourn the passing away of cricket coach Tarak Sinha.
Sinha oversaw the transition of many aspiring cricketers into the senior national teams and was the coach of players like former India pacer Ashish Nehra, former India captain Anjum Chopra as well as Delhi domestic great and former India Test opener Aakash Chopra. He even spotted wicketkeeper batter, Rishabh Pant, at an early age.
The legendary cricket coach passed away on Saturday aged 71 after losing a battle to cancer. Not only the abovementioned cricketers but Sinha also coached players like Surinder Khanna, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma, Atul Wassan, Sanjeev Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.
Even at the age of 70, he was enthusiastic about getting to the field and working on young cricketers: Sonnet Cricket Club
"It is with a heavy heart we have to share this tragic news of Shri Tarak Sinha, the founder of the Sonnet Club, has left for his heavenly abode at 3 am on Saturday after a brave battle with lung cancer for two months," Sonnet Cricket Club said in an official statement.
"He has been the soul of Sonnet Cricket Club which has given Indian and Delhi cricket so many gems. We want to thank each and everyone who has been by his side in these trying times and prayed for his recovery," he added.
"We also want to appreciate the efforts put in by the doctors in Jaipur and Delhi who worked tirelessly to revive him. Tarak sir's pride was his students and their support through this period kept him going. He was only thinking about grooming young talent during this battle. Even at the age of 70, he was enthusiastic about getting to the field and working on young cricketers," the statement further added.
"He was in good spirits till his last breath, believing he could still get up on his feet! It's a heavy day for all of us at Sonnet Club, the cricket fraternity and most importantly the students who have always seen him as a guardian. May his soul rest in peace and continue to bless us to carry his legacy forward," the statement's concluding lines said.
Notably, Sinha is only the fifth cricket coach after Desh Prem Azad, Gurcharan Singh, Ramakant Achrekar and Sunita Sharma to be bestowed with the honour of the Dronacharya Award by the Government of India.