CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: A 35-year-old professional cricketer, Imran Patel, died of a massive cardiac arrest during a match in Pune Wednesday night. Patel had entered the pitch at Garware Stadium as opening batsman for the league match. After a few overs he complained to the umpires of pain in his left arm and chest. The discussion was brief and he was walking back to the pavilion when he collapsed. The events were caught on camera as the match was being streamed live. Patel was rushed to hospital where doctors declared him dead.
“He didn’t have history of any medical condition,” said Naseer Khan, another cricketer. “He was in good physical condition. In fact, he was an allrounder who loved the game. We’re all still in shock.”
Patel leaves behind a wife and three daughters, the youngest only four months old. A massive crowd turned up for his last rites near Maulana Azad College late on Wednesday. Patel owned a cricket team, had a real-estate business and ran a juice shop. His death was hauntingly similar to that of cricketer Habib Shaikh’s who also died while playing a match, on Sept 7 in Pune. Habib was a diabetic.