Ashok Mustafi, Sourav Ganguly's first coach, passes away

A few months ago, Mustafi had to be admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata and Ganguly took the initiative to take care of his coach. He was 86.

Ashok Mustafi, one of the noted cricket mentors of Kolkata and the first coach of former India captain Sourav Ganguly, passed away on Thursday.

Ashok Mustafi, one of the noted cricket mentors of Kolkata and the first coach of former India captain Sourav Ganguly, passed away on Thursday after prolonged illness. He was 86.

Ganguly and his close friend Sanjay Das trained under him at the Dukhiram Coaching Centre - which was once considered the lighthouse of Bengal cricket for the number of talented cricketers it produced. Not just Ganguly, around 20 cricketers have gone on to play for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy under Mustafi’s guidance.

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A few months ago, Mustafi had to be admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata and Ganguly took the initiative to take care of his coach. Ganguly has time and again acknowledged how ‘Mustafi Sir’ helped him learn the basics of the game.

On Mustafi’s death, Cricket Association of Bengal president Avishek Dalmiya said, “His contribution to cricket in shaping careers will be remembered forever.”