Deceased Gangandeep was a Ranji probable: UP coach

Kanpur:

Under-19 cricketer Gagandeep Singh, who was shot dead in Meerut, was on the verge of being selected for the Uttar Pradesh Ranji team, coach Gyanendra Pandey has revealed.

"He had been performing so well that the selection committee was keen to have him in the Ranji team. His death is a huge loss to not just Uttar Pradesh cricket but also Indian cricket as a whole," Pandey said.

The 18-year-old spinner, who was in Meerut to play the C K Nayadu Trophy for UP's under-22 team, was shot dead last night after being caught in a row between a shopkeeper and a customer in the city, the police said.

"We have lost a potential star. I couldn't believe when I was first told about it. We had lots of hopes from Gagandeep," Pandey said.

Meanwhile, under-22 coach Rohit Talwar said Gagandeep had not informed him before leaving the team hotel on Friday night.

"We had a practice session during the day and players went to their rooms after having dinner at about 10 pm. Around 11, Gagan and his roommate went out to have some kebabs from an eatery. A little later, we were told about the tragedy, we rushed Gagandeep to hospital but he had died by then," he revealed.