World cup winner lost his life’s battle at 66
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
Former Indian cricketer and 1983 World Cup stalwart Yashpal Sharma has died of heart attack on Tuesday morning. He was 66 and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
Born in Ludhiana on August 11, 1954, Sharma was regarded as one of the finest middle-order batsmen. After making his international debut in 1979 against England, Sharma played 37 Tests for India, scoring 1606 runs with two centuries and nine fifties.
He made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 1978. He had represented India in 42 One Day Internationals in which he scored 883 runs.
Yashpal Sharma, who was admired for being a gutsy middle-order batsman, was one of the heroes in India s World Cup triumph in 1983. Sharma was picked for the Indian team for the 1983 World Cup. In the opening match of the 1983 World Cup, he top scored with 89 as India caused West Indies their first defeat in a World Cup match. In the semifinal against England he again top scored with 61 – a flick over square leg for six off a near yorker from Bob Willis being a memorable shot. He was part of the Indian team which won its maiden World Cup tournament which eventually came during the 1983 campaign. He was known for his stroke-filled half-century in the semifinal against England in the 1983 campaign at Old Trafford will forever be etched in the public memory.
After he retired from the game, he became an umpire for a time, and has also been a selector for the Indian national team. He was India’s national cricket selector from 2003 to 2006.
According to sources, Yashpal collapsed at home after returning from his morning walk.
July 13,2021
