Former cricketer Yashpal Sharma, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team, died of a heart attack this morning. Yashpal Sharma, 66, had also served as the selector of Team India. Former Indian team captains Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar have expressed deep grief over the death of Yashpal Sharma. In the semi-finals of the World Cup, Yashpal Sharma played an important role in taking India to the final by scoring the team’s highest score against England.
His contribution not only as a cricketer but also as a coach and selector has been very special. He is also credited with advancing the careers of off-spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh. Yashpal Sharma also goes to the credit of improving the game of many talented players like Shubman Gill and Mandeep Singh. He also played the role of coach of Uttar Pradesh.
Right-handed batsman Yashpal Sharma made his Test debut against England at Lord’s. He played 37 Tests and 42 ODIs for India in his career. In Test cricket, he scored 1606 runs at an average of 33.45. This included two centuries and 9 half-centuries. His highest score was 140 runs in Tests.
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Yashpal Sharma played his first ODI against Pakistan in Sialkot. In ODIs, he has 883 runs in 40 innings of 42 matches. Including four half-centuries. His highest score was 89 runs in ODI cricket. Yashpal Sharma, who played the last international match of his career in 1985, was never dismissed for zero in a span of seven years.
