BCCI chief passes away

The veteran cricket administrator was admitted to a private hospital after he suffered chest pain and giddiness on September 17. “The cricketing fraternity will miss him dearly”, said BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, who will now look after the day-to-day affairs of the board. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said Dalmiya was a popular figure in the cricketing world and his passing away would leave a void.

President of India Pranab Mukherjee has condoled the passing away of former ICC president and current chief of the BCCI Jagmohan Dalmiya. “May Shri Dalmiya’s soul rest in peace”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted.

“Where Bangladesh cricket is today is in no small measure due to the steadfast support and patronisation of Jagmohan Dalmiya”, he added.

Dalmiya was also credited with helping bring the cricket World Cup to India in 1987 and 1996.

Paying his respects, Sachin Tendulkar tweeted, “Heartfelt condolences to the family & friends of Jagmohan Dalmiya”.

“The void created by his death can not be filled”, said Shukla. He was a giant amongst sports administrators, a true lover of Bengal.

“I’m deeply saddened at the loss of an inspiring visionary and a great leader”.

There has been dissenting voices in BCCI about his failing health and recently there were calls to remove him from the post of president.

Pawar, who shared a bitter-sweet relationship with Dalmiya over the years, said the “void created by Dalmiya’s absence was hard to be filled”.

After making the 1996 World Cup as one of the most profitable tournaments, Dalmiya aimed at the big spot, the ICC. I had played for Bengal for 5-6 years because of him and he was partly responsible for my selection in the Indian team also.