Guwahati News Desk: Former Indian batsman, Yashpal Sharma, who was the backbone of India’s middle-order in the 1983 World Cup, passed away on Tuesday at his home in Noida.
As per sources, the 66-years old Sharma suffered a heart attack after returning from his morning walk and collapsed at around 7.30 am.
India’s right-handed batsman, Sharma, had represented India in 37 ODIs, scoring 1606 runs and in 42 Tests, scoring 883 runs. He also played 160 first-class matches, representing Punjab, Haryana and Railways and had scored 8933 runs.
However, he was best remembered internationally for his performances in India’s first World Cup win, in 1983, where he aggregated 240 runs at an average of 34.28 to return as the second-highest scorer for India behind skipper Kapil Dev in the tournament.
In their first match of the 1983 World Cup, Sharma had got India off to a brilliant start, as he scored a match-winning 89 against the West Indies in what was, India’s first match of the showpiece event. As wickets kept tumbling from the other end, he ensured that India reached a respectable total of 262 runs. In reply, the Windies were bowled out for 228 runs.
Eventually, Sharma was adjudged “Man of the Match” for his brilliant knock against the two-time world champions. That particular win in Manchester had given India the self-belief to go on and win in the final tournament.
Photo | The Quint
