NEW DELHI — A promising young Indian cricketer died Monday after an on-field collision with a teammate during a club match in the eastern city of Kolkata, his coach said. Ankit Keshri, 20, was rushed to hospital with a head injury following the incident Friday, but suffered a heart attack late Sunday and died a few hours later, the coach said.
Keshri, who had played for the Bengal under-19 side last year, came on as a substitute fielder when he crashed into the teammate as both players attempted to take a high catch.
He briefly lost consciousness on the field but was resuscitated by a teammate, following which, he was rushed to hospital.
“To see a young life lost due to a freakish accident is absolutely tragic,” coach Jaideep Mukherjee told reporters in Kolkata.
His father, Raj Keshri, said his son had been talking Sunday, but still had a fever and nausea. “I don't know why he was transferred to a general bed from ICU,” he added.
“It's so unfortunate. He was such a promising cricketer and for him to pass away in such a manner is difficult to swallow,” Subir Ganguly, the joint secretary of the state's cricket association, told Reuters.
Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, 25, died last November, two days after he was struck in the neck by a bouncer in a first-class match.
Nabi steps down
Mohammad Nabi has stepped down as captain of the Afghanistan national cricket team after more than two years in the job, citing his own poor form and the team's performance.
“I have served Afghanistan's national team as captain for more than two years. I tried my best to bring victories to our team and the nation,” he wrote in his letter to the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
“Given the recent performance of the team and particularly my out of form status, I would like you to accept my resignation as captain and allow me to continue to play as a team player.”
Afghanistan made its World Cup debut under Nabi's captaincy this year, making its mark with a historic one-wicket win over Scotland.
The tournament debutant was also impressive when losing to Sri Lanka before falling apart against Australia and New Zealand.
“We performed very well in the World Cup. For the first time in the history of Afghanistan cricket we won a game,” he told a press conference Monday. “I will continue to play with the team and advise the new captain.”
Gautam Gambhir played a captain's innings as defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders beat Delhi Daredevils by six wickets in their Indian Premier League match in Delhi Monday.
Kolkata bowlers set up its third win in four games, restricting Delhi Daredevils to 146 for 8. Gambhir then made his third half-century in four innings to consign the host to its ninth successive defeat at Feroz Shah Kotla.
Delhi managed to post the moderate total despite healthy innings from opener Shreyas Iyer and Manoj Tiwary for 31 and 32, respectively. Morne Morkel and Piyush Chawla claimed a couple of wickets each for Kolkata to restrict it to the total.
Gambhir scored 60 off 49 deliveries, followed by another match-winning knock of 40 by Yusuf Pathan.
Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 147 for 4 (Gambhir 60, Yusuf 40*) beat Delhi Daredevils 146 for 8 (Umesh 2-18, Chawla 2-27) by six wickets. — Agencies
