NEW DELHI — Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of India's powerful cricket board, died Sunday at a hospital in Kolkata where he was being treated for a heart condition, a top cricket official said. He was 75. "The greatest sports administrator of India has passed away, an era ends," Anurag Thakur, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said on Twitter. "The ICC extends its deepest condolences upon the passing away of BCCI President and former ICC President Jagmohan Dalmiya," the world governing body tweeted. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cricket great Sachin Tendulkar also took to Twitter to mourn the cricket administrator's death. "Heartfelt condolences to the family & friends of Jagmohan Dalmiya. Had met him in June. Little did I realize that it would be the last (time)," Tendulkar tweeted. "Will always cherish his encouragement & support over the years. Worked hard for the game of cricket & excelled as an administrator," added the retired batting great. Dalmiya, who was also a former head of the International Cricket Council, is credited with overseeing India's emergence as the game's powerhouse during previous stints at the helm of the BCCI. He returned to the post of BCCI president in March but was subsequently dogged by health problems and he was taken into intensive care at Kolkata's B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre Thursday night after suffering severe chest pains. Dalmiya was unceremoniously dumped by the board in 2004 over allegations of financial irregularities but his comeback earlier this year came after his predecessor Narayanaswami Srinivasan was forced out by a corruption scandal. — Agencies
