Deval Sahay, mentor of cricket icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni and who is credited with preparing first turf pitches in Ranchi, passed away due to multi-organ failure in the early hours of Tuesday in a hospital in the Jharkhand capital.

Sahay was 73 and is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son. Sahay, whose first name was Deobrat but was popularly called Deval, was admitted to a hospital due to breathing problems and was laid low by coronavirus while in hospital. He was discharged from the hospital on October 9.