Former BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary dies of heart attack

In an unfortunate development on Tuesday, it was reported that Amitabh Chaudhary is no more after being the victim of a heart attack at the age of 58. The towering figure was the president of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association and has previously served the role of joint secretary for the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Chaudhary made his name in the Indian Police Services, having been appointed to the post of Inspector General of Police in Jharkhand before his retirement. Thereafter, he contributed in great ways to the Indian cricketing fraternity, especially in Jharkhand. The Jharkhand Public Services Commission chairman was integral in causing the BCCI to award Jharkhand first-class status following their split from Bihar in 2000. He later enabled the establishment of the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi which has already hosted 10 international games and has a capacity of 50,000 people.

Apart from being the acting secretary for cricket's top governing body in India, Chaudhary also had multiple stints as the administrative manager of the national cricket team. Both these roles were undertaken during some of the toughest times faced by the Indian team in this millennium. This includes the 2005 tour of Zimbabwe where Greg Chapell and Sourav Ganguly had their infamous falling out, during which Chaudhary was manager of the team. He was also the joint secretary during the late 2010s when the Committee of Administrators was placed in complete control of BCCI operations, leading to multiple reports of scuffles between Chaudhary and the CoA.

The likes of Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh and Hemant Soren have all offered their tributes upon Chaudhary's demise, indicating the great legacy he leaves behind in Indian cricket.