27 February,2021 08:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Govind Koli
Former State Bank of India, New Hind Sporting Club and Koli Combined XI leg-spinner and coach Govind Koli, 77, passed away at a city hospital on Friday.
Koli, who was the backbone of the Kalpesh Koli Memorial MCA U-16 selection tournament for the last 29 editions, had recently recovered from COVID-19 but his health deteriorated thereafter.
Koli played under former India stalwarts Ajit Wadekar and Hanumant Singh's captaincy on the office cricket circuit and displayed his skills alongside some of Mumbai cricket's leading names like Baloo Gupte, Sharad Diwadkar and Ramakant Achrekar.
He was famous for his leg-spin and googlies in the same action. Across the last decade and a half, Koli was guiding budding cricketers at the Digambar Patkar Vidyalaya in Dadar. He is the younger brother of ex-Ranj player and VN Sule Guruji Vidyalaya coach Gopal Koli.