In an unfortunate development that has come from Pune, a 35-year-old cricketer died of cardiac arrest while playing a cricket match at the Garware Stadium in the city on Thursday. The player, by the name of Imran Patel, came out to bat as an opener and started to complain of chest and arm pain after spending some time on the pitch. He informed the on-field umpires of the issue and was given the permission to leave the field. However, while heading back to the pavilion, Imran collapsed.
The entire incident was caught on camera as the match was being live-streamed. As Imran collapsed, other players on the field rushed towards him. He was immediately taken to the hospital. But, upon assessment by the doctors, Imran was pronounced dead.
What was surprising for many is the fact that Imran was in extremely good health. He was physically fit, yet suffered a cardiac arrest. Being an all-rounder, Imran was the kind of a player who had to be active all throughout a match. The reason behind his death, hence, left many stunned.
"He didn't have history of any medical condition," said Naseer Khan, another cricketer who was part of the match, was quoted as saying by the Times of India "He was in good physical condition. In fact, he was an allrounder who loved the game. We're all still in shock."
Imran had a wife and three daughters, the youngest of which is only four months old. Patel was a renowned person in the area who owned a cricket team and even had a real-estate business. He also ran a juice shop. In September this year, another cricketer by the name of Habib Shaikh also died in a similar manner while playing a match in Pune. Habib, however, had an underlying condition as he was a diabetic, contrary to Imran, who was said to be in a healthier state.