ANKIT KESHARI

20-year old Indian cricketer is killed on pitch after his team mate ran into him while taking a catch 

ANKIT KESHARI

Indian cricketer Ankit Keshri has died after colliding with a team-mate as they both attempted to take a catch in a club match in Kolkata on Friday.

The 20-year-old, a former captain of Bengal’s under-19 state team, was only on the field as a substitute fielder. The incident happened on Friday 17th April 2015, at the Salt Lake ground during Bengal Division 1’s match between East Bengal club and Bhawanipore Club.

The 20-year-old, a talented right-hander, had captained the Bengal U-19 team in Cooch Behar Trophy and was in the 30-member India U-19 probables list for the 2014 Colts World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. He was also playing for Bengal A (U-23 side) in CK Nayudu national Championship.

In what can be considered a cruel twist of fate, Keshri was not a part of the playing XI and was the 12th man of the side in the fateful match. He came to replace Railways Ranji all-rounder Arnab Nandi, who had taken a break.

In the 44th over, Keshri bumped into bowler Sourabh Mondal while taking a catch and according to his team-mate and former Bengal spinner Shivsagar Singh, Keshri was stuck in the head and neck region by the knee of bowler Sourav Mondal. “Fielding at sweeper cover, Keshri rushed to take the high catch as left-arm pacer Sourav Mondal too ran on his follow through.

After colliding with Mondal, blood spurted out of his mouth as he fell unconscious. Former Bengal spinner Shivsagar Singh and batsman Anustup Majumdar rushed to attend him. He immediately fell on the ground and lost consciousness. The right-handed batsman was rushed to a private nursing home and was undergoing treatment for three days. He reportedly regained consciousness after the collision as his condition was improving and later was stable. But at midnight he suffered a cardiac arrest and was put on ventilator before he succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning.

Former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar said he was “saddened” by the news. “A promising career aborted by an unfortunate incident on field,” Tendulkar tweeted. “May God give strength to Ankit’s family and friends to cope with this loss.”

Manoj Tiwary, who has played nine one-day internationals for India, forecasted on the social media that Keshri would have represented his state at senior, as well as age-grade, level.

Australia Test batsman Phillip Hughes died in November after being struck by a delivery bowled in a domestic match in Australia. The Board of Control for Cricket In India confirmed on their official Twitter account that 20-year-old Ankit Keshri (pictured) had passed away after suffering ‘a cardiac arrest following on-field injury’.