Former Indian cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner Yashpal Sharma has died of massive cardiac arrest on Tuesday at the age of 66. The former Indian batsman reportedly died of cardiac arrest at 7:40 am. Yashpal was one of the heroes in India s World Cup triumph in 1983. He played a pivotal role in the cup by scoring 240 runs at an average of 34.28 including a match-winning 60 against England in the semi-finals.
He is survived by his wife Renu Sharma, two daughters Puja, Preeti and son Chirag Sharma. The former Punjab cricketer was regarded as a gifted middle-order batsman. In a career spanning from 1979 to 1983, Yashpal played 37 Tests for India. Yashpal made his debut in 1979 against England and added substance to the Indian middle order. Yashpal scored 1606 runs in 37 Tests with nine fifties and two remarkable centuries for national team in a memorable cricketing career that spanned over the late 70’s and 80’s. He also played 42 ODIs and scored 883 runs for team India. Yashpal Sharma played his first international match on August 2, 1979 at Lord’s. He made a big impact in 1972 after scoring 260 runs for Punjab Schools against Jammu and Kashmir Schools.
Post-retirement he was involved in various roles — including umpire and selector — with the Indian cricket board (BCCI), Punjab and Haryana cricket, and also served as cricket expert with India TV. He was also national selector for two stints — 2003-2006 and 2008 — and backed then-India captain Sourav Ganguly during the player’s tiff with coach Greg Chappell. He later served as the coach of Uttar Pradesh. Yashpal’s character will be portrayed by Sacred Games-famed actor Jatin Sharma in upcoming movie ’83, which plays tribute to the 1983-winning World Cup team.
