Cricketer Yashpal Sharma who was the top scorer for India during the semi-finals of the 1983 World Cup, died after a heart attack, according to reports. He was 66 years old. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
"Yes, Yashpal is no more with us. We just received the information from his family," a former India teammate of Sharma confirmed to PTI.
The former Punjab cricketer, a gifted middle-order batsman, was among the top players in the '70s and '80s.
His smashing 61 runs during the 1983 World Cup semis, and his contribution in the match-winning 92-run stand with Mohinder Amarnath for the third wicket, is still remembered by cricket fans. He partnered with Sandeep Patil for another 63-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
In his 42 Tests, he scored 1606 runs at 33.45 which included 2 centuries and nine half-centuries. In his 37 ODIs, he scored 883 runs at 28.48 which included four half-centuries. He also had one wicket each in the two formats to his name. Sharma was also part of the national selection committee for a few years.