Sandeep Patil: Never imagined our fittest mate will leave us like this

Yashpal Sharma. Pic/Atul Kamble

It has been more than 12 hours since Kirti Azad called me on Tuesday morning to deliver the news of Yashpal Sharma's death, but I still can't get around the fact that Yash is no more.

That a guy who did not smoke, didn't touch a hard drink, didn't even consume non-vegetarian food, can succumb to a cardiac arrest is unbelievable really.

Each and every member of the 1983 World Cup team including our manager PR Man Singh, is in shock. We are sharing our grief on the World Cup 1983 WhatsApp group and Sunil (Gavaskar) and Ravi (Shastri) are in touch with us from England.

I have been known as a joke-teller all my cricketing life. Yashpal and I shared many jokes across 47 years of our relationship (yes, right from our University cricket days) but the fact that life is no joke has been reinforced through his passing. Friends, don't urge me to tell any more jokes. I won't and I don't think I can in the future.

Yashpal Sharma. Pic/AFP

Just the other day, we, the members of the 1983 World Cup team, met in Delhi. We joked, we reminisced, pulled each other's leg. Little did we imagine that our fittest teammate would say goodbye to us like this. "We should be fit like Yash," some of us said to each other. Two days back, I sent him an image of my 300th canvas painting and he said, "Keep going, Sandy." Indeed, Yash's death paints a picture of gloom for all of his friends and teammates.

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Grit and determination was at the heart of his cricket. He gave nothing away, didn't leave anything that he could offer when he left the dressing room. Yash's batting style may have not made for a pleasant sight from the stands or dressing room. But he was khadoos and played to the needs of the team. Yash was no easy picking for any bowler.

I was not in the team for both his Test hundreds (v Australia in Delhi in 1979-80 and v England at Madras in 1981-82) but I saw his vital knocks in the 1983 World Cup - 89 against West Indies and 61 against England in the semi-fnals, both at Manchester). And let's not forget he top-scored with 40 in our Chelmsford match against Australia who we beat by 118 runs.

I remember we were rival captains in his last Ranji Trophy game in the 1992-93 season. I was leading Madhya Pradesh while he was captaining Railways at Delhi. We earned more points in that game, but I don't remember Yash giving us an easy time.

It isn't going to be easy now too. Rest well, Yash pal!

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As told to Clayton Murzello