Former India captain Ajit Wadekar passes away

TIL Desk Sports/ Former cricket captain Ajit Wadekar, who led India to their first overseas Test series wins in England and the West Indies, passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday after prolonged illness. Wadekar is survived by his wife Rekha, two sons and a daughter. The 77-year-old was brought to a hospital in South Mumbai on Wednesday where he was declared dead on arrival. His last rites will be performed on Friday, a member of the Wadekar family said.

“He had been critically unwell for sometime and was seeking treatment for the same,” read the statement from the Jaslok Hospital. The Mumbai left-hander was a trailblazer in Indian cricket despite a mere 37 Test appearances, leading India to triumphs in England and the West Indies in 1971. Wadekar scored 2,113 runs in his Test career, including one hundred, and was also the country’s first ODI captain. He appeared in just two matches, though.

India lost both those ODIs against England, which prompted Wadekar to retire from the international cricket in 1974. He went on to serve as India’s manager in the 1990s during Mohammed  Azharuddin’s captaincy. In his tenure as manager, India had finished semi-finalists at the 1996 World Cup.  He later went on to become the chairman of selectors as well.