1983 World Cup Winner Yashpal Sharma, 66, Dies of Heart Attack

Former Indian cricketer Yashpal Sharma passed away due to a heart attack on Tuesday. Sharma was 66 years old when he took his last breath. Sharma was a member of India’s World Cup-winning team in 1983, which was led by Kapil Dev.

A resolute middle-order batsman, Yashpal made his India debut in 1978 in an ODI against Pakistan in Sialkot. The right-handed batsman, who was the backbone of India's middle-order in the 1983 World Cup, played 37 Test matches, scoring 1606 runs, and 42 ODIs scoring 883 runs. Yashpal made his Test debut against England at Lord’s in 1979.

In Ranji Trophy, where he represented three teams -- Punjab, Haryana and Railways -- Yashpal played 160 matches amassing 8,933 runs which included 21 centuries with a highest score of 201 not out.

He was an umpire too and stood in a couple of women's ODIs.

Batting great Sachin Tendulkar paid tribute to former batsman Yashpal Sharma. Tendulkar said that he has "fond memories" of watching Yashpal bat in the 1983 World Cup. Tendulkar took to his Twitter account and wrote: "Shocked and deeply pained by the demise of Yashpal Sharma ji. Have fond memories of watching him bat during the 1983 World Cup. His contribution to Indian cricket shall always be remembered. My sincere condolences to the entire Sharma family."

Besides Sachin, people from the cricket fraternity took to Twitter to offer condolences to Yashpal Sharma's family.