1983 World Cup Winner Yashpal Sharma, 66, Dies of Heart Attack

Former Indian cricket Yashpal Sharma has died due to a heart attack on Tuesday. Sharma was 66 years old when he took his last breath. Sharma was a member of India's World Cup-winning team in 1983, which was led by Kapil Dev. The right-hander was an explosive middle-order batsman.

Sharma had scored 11 runs off 32 balls in the World Cup final against the potent West Indies team. Yashpal, who was born in Ludhiana, featured in 37 Test matches for India and scored 1606 runs at an average of 33.45. Furthermore, the right-hander played 42 ODI matches for the national team and scored 883 runs in the ODI format. 

Yashpal made his Test debut against England at Lord's in 1979 whereas he played his maiden ODI match against arch-rivals Pakistan at Sialkot in 1978. 

Thus, the right-hander played for four years for the national team and it is said that he had every shot in the book. Yashpal was known for his solid defensive skills and played against strong bowling attacks with aplomb.

Yashpal scored two centuries and nine fifties in the Test format, with his best score of 140 coming against England at Chennai in 1982. The right-hander added 316 runs with legendary Gundappa Vishwanathan, who scored 222 runs. However, the 5th Test match of the series ended in a draw.

Meanwhile, Yashpal also played an instrumental role in India's win in the 1983 World Cup. The right-hander scored 89 runs in the first match of the tournament against two-time champions West Indies and set the tone for his team. Furthermore, he scored a vital knock of 61 runs in the semifinal against England.

Yashpal also scored four fifties in the white ball report. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Yashpal Sharma suffered a massive cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning.