Hardly a week after Dilip Kumar’s passing, the news of cricket maestro Yashpal Sharma’s demise saddened us all. Sharma was a gifted cricketer and was one of the leading figures behind India’s historic triumph in the 1983 World Cup. On Tuesday morning, Sharma passed away after a heart attack at the age of 66.
Yashpal Sharma is survived by his wife Renu Sharma and two children. The cricketer hailed from Punjab and was regarded as a gifted middle-order batsman. His cricket career spanned from 1979 to 1983, during which he played 37 tests matches for India. As the world mourns the huge loss, celebs from Bollywood expressed their condolence upon losing a pioneer from the sports world.
Ranveer Singh, who plays the lead in 83, the upcoming sports film based on India’s historic World Cup win, took to social media to pay his respect for Yashpal Sharma. Sharing a throwback photo of the late cricketer, Ranveer captioned it with just a heartbreak emoji.
Actor Jatin Sarna plays Yashpal Sharma’s character in 83. He would often take to Instagram to share his practice sessions and all the efforts he took to step into the shoes of Sharma for his World Cup win. Jatin shared an array of candid clicks of Sharma and wrote a heartbreaking note. It could be read, “This is not done sir, no not fair and god you too not fair. Yashpal sir can’t believe, you can not leave so soon abhi toh paari baaki thi, Abhi toh mulakaat baaki thi aapke ghar aana tha milne mujhe, Saath mai film dekhni thi aapke, aapke expression dekhne thae.. Yash paah yash paah karke chillana tha sabne sabko pata chalna tha kon hai ye sher, sir….@yashpalsharmacricketer you will be remembered, History will never forget you #83thefilm”
Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin shared, “Saddened by the demise of Yashpal Sharma. A story of sheer grit and incredible sporting spirit in the history books of Indian cricket . Yashpal Sir was a rock on the pitch and a major reason for India’s 1983 World Cup win. Today I remember his accomplishments and immense contributions that made the country proud . Condolences to his friends , family and fans . May he rest in peace. (sic)”
Sachin Tendulkar, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Anil Kumble, and several prominent political figures paid tribute to the veteran cricketer through social media.
Yashpal Sharma became a known figure when in 1972, he scored 260 for Punjab schools against Jammu & Kashmir schools. Sharma made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 1978. After retirement from cricket, he served many roles – umpire, selector and coach of Uttar Pradesh
