A leading light in Rajasthan cricket went off yesterday when Parthasarthy Sharma (62) succumbed to cancer.

Dravid, Gambhir pay rich tributes to Parthasarthy Sharma

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Dravid, Gambhir pay rich tributes to Parthasarthy Sharma

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A leading light in Rajasthan cricket went off yesterday when Parthasarthy Sharma (62) succumbed to cancer.

There was more to "Parath" as he was affectionately called than just being a former player. His passion for the game made him a good coach, whose expertise was acknowledged yesterday by no less batting exponents than Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir.

Dravid said he enjoyed his chats with Sharma whenever they got a chance to talk cricket. "He had vast experience in this game as player and coach. It's a loss. He will be missed," said Dravid.

"He changed me completely as a player. My stance, my grip, my falling across, and the way we discussed how to go about things. (It was of) tremendous help to me, overall, as a person to and how to approach my cricket. A lot of credit goes to him for my performances over the last couple of years."

A close associate of Sharma's told MiD DAY that Dravid sent a text message to the departed cricketer's son which read: "Dear Chico. Tried calling. Was really sorry to hear about the sad demise of your father. Please accept our deepest condolences to the whole family. I will always remember your father very fondly and with much respect. I will miss our conversations on the game. It's a loss for you all and for Indian cricket. Regards Rahul."

Adventurous
Kenia Jayantilal, the former Test player, who was Sharma's teammate at Mafatlal Sports Club, recalled the time when the team members went to a hill station after a tournament. "Parath got hold of a gun and gave us a feeling that he was aiming at us. He pulled the trigger, but the bullet went way past our group. He had a good sense of humour. On another occasion, he coerced us into indulging in some horse riding on tour. After we finished, he ordered the horse owner to pick us up at 6 am for another session. The man made it but our buttocks pained so much that we didn't venture out. Parath was always the adventurous kind.

"Above all, he was a damn good cricketer - a neat batsman, who could murder any spin attack and a good off-spinner. He could also field well at close-in." Sharma made his Test debut against the West Indies in the Delhi Test of the 1974-75 series. He made 54 (top score) and 49 on debut but fell out of favour after the 1976-77 home series against England. He opened with Sunil Gavaskar in the first Test at Bridgetown, Barbados on the 1975-76 tour of the Caribbean.

After his retirement from first-class cricket in 1982, Sharma took up coaching. He served the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore as batting coach for four years. It is also believed that he helped Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Amit Mishra and Suresh Raina.

With inputs from Clayton Murzello