CHENNAI: The dreaded coronavirus claimed its first victim from the field of Indian sports on Sunday as former opener Chetan Chauhan passed away after battling with the virus for over a month. He was 73 and admitted to a hospital in Lucknow on July 11 following a positive test. He was later shifted to a hospital in Gurugram, where he suffered a multiple-organ failure.
Chauhan is survived by his wife and son Vinayak, who lives in Melbourne. "My elder brother Shri Chetan Chauhan left us today after fighting a good battle. I sincerely thank everyone who prayed for his recovery. His son Vinayak will be reaching anytime and we will then perform the last rites," the former cricketer's younger brother Pushpendra was quoted as saying by a news agency. Chauhan's other son Karan died in a car accident in Adelaide in 2005.
Chauhan will be remembered in sports circles as a gritty opening batsman, who played 40 Tests and 7 ODIs from 1969 to 1981. He is regarded as the best opening partner Sunil Gavaskar ever had. A gritty customer, he was particularly effective against the fast bowlers of Australia and Pakistan. Not flashy as a batsman, he put a premium on his wicket and was difficult to dislodge.
He is also remembered as a batsman who despite being rated highly, never scored a Test century. Before Shane Warne broke this record, Chauhan was the batsman with maximum Test runs who never got to three figures.
He aggregated 2084 runs at 31.57 with 16 half-centuries. His highest was 97 in Adelaide in 1981 against Dennis Lillee, Len Pascoe and Rodney Hogg. Three of his next best scores came in Lahore, Perth and Melbourne.
Chauhan was part of the famous Melbourne Test of 1981, when Sunil Gavaskar threatened to walk out after being ruled out in controversial circumstances. He was the captain's batting partner when the incident took place. Chauhan made 85 in that innings and shared an opening stand of 165 as India pulled off a sensational win to level the three-match series.
Chauhan remained associated with cricket after retirement. He was the manager of the Indian team on a few occasions and served Delhi and Districts Cricket Association as president, vice-president, secretary and selection committee chief.
He was also a minister in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet, handling the departments of Sainik Welfare, Home Guards, PRD and Civil Security. He was an MLA from the Naugawan Sadat constituency.
PM Narendra Modi expressed grief at the news of Chauhan's passing away. VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were among members of the cricket fraternity to offer condolences.