Renowned cricket coach Tarak Sinha passes away

Sinha has been a coach for decades, and he has trained players across generations. The Sonnet Club, where he operated, acted as Delhi's supply line.

Tarak Sinha has turned several youngsters into international players - from Manoj Prabhakar to Rishabh Pant.

Renowned cricket coach Tarak Sinha succumbed to cancer in New Delhi early on Saturday. He was 71.

He was suffering from the disease for a while, and recently, he had a multi-organ failure.

Sinha has trained players across generations. The Sonnet Club, where he operated, acted as Delhi's supply line. He identified talent and turned them into international cricketers.

FROM THE ARCHIVES - UNSUNG HERO

His impressive student list includes Surender Khanna, Randhir Singh, Raman Lamba, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma, K. P. Bhaskar, Atul Wassan, Ashish Nehra, Sanjeev Sharma, Aakash Chopra, Shikhar Dhawan, Anjum Chopra and Rishabh Pant.

He is the fifth cricket coach, after Desh Prem Azad, Gurcharan Singh, Ramakant Achrekar and Sunita Sharma, to get the Dronacharya award.

STATEMENT Sonnet Cricket Club said in a statement: "It is with a heavy heart we have to share this tragic news of Shri Tarak Sinha, the founder of the Sonnet Club, has left for his heavenly abode at 3am on Saturday after a brave battle with lung cancer for two months. "He has been the soul of Sonnet Cricket Club which has given India and Delhi cricket so many gems. "We want to thank each and everyone who has been by his side in these trying times and prayed for his recovery. We also want to appreciate the efforts put in by the doctors in Jaipur and Delhi who worked tirelessly to revive him. "Tarak sir's pride was his students and his support through this period kept him going. He was only thinking about grooming young talent during this battle. Even at the age of 70, he was enthusiastic about getting to the field and working on young cricketers. "He was in good spirits till his last breath, believing he could still get up on his feet! "It's a heavy day for all of us at Sonnet Club, the cricket fraternity and most importantly the students who have always seen him as a guardian. "May his soul rest in peace and continue to bless us to carry his legacy forward! Om Shanti!"