Former Bengal women’s cricket coach Banerjee no more

A right-hand batsman and a medium pacer, all-rounder Banerjee represented East Zone. He coached the senior women’s Bengal side to Inter-Zonal champion in 2010-11.

Leading wicket-taker in women’s ODI, Jhulan Goswami remembered her former coach whom she fondly called “handsome evergreen boy”.

Former Bengal women’s cricket coach Tapan Banerjee passed away on Monday morning after a prolonged illness, Cricket Association of Bengal said.

He was 73. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

A right-hand batsman and a medium pacer, all-rounder Banerjee represented East Zone. He coached the senior women’s Bengal side to Inter-Zonal champion in 2010-11.

Leading wicket-taker in women’s ODI, Jhulan Goswami remembered her former coach whom she fondly called “handsome evergreen boy”.

“He was the only coach who told us to ‘eat sweets, it won’t harm’. He always brought sweets for us at the dinner table and kept us in a cheerful mood. He taught us how to be happy always,” Jhulan said.

“But at the same time he was strict on the field and had a clear knowledge of the game. His main idea was to make us aware of each other’s role and not let any misunderstanding grow. He would call me ‘Jhul’..really miss him,” the 34-year-old said.

Banerjee suffered a cerebral attack a few months back and last night he slipped into a coma. He breathed his last around 11 a.m., said a CAB official.

Born in Kanpur, Banerjee played 18 first class matches, scoring 217 runs and taking 47 wickets in his career, spanning from 1965-66 to 1982-83.