The game of cricket has witnessed quite a number of incidents where players died from the injuries sustained while playing the game. Jasper Vinall, Abdul Aziz, Raman Lamba and Philip Hughes were some of the cricketers who met an unfortunate fate while playing their beloved game. The organisers of the game try their level best to minimise the dangers as much as they can but sometimes the inevitable happens.
In the latest unfortunate incident on a cricket field, Rajesh Ghodge, a 46-year-old former Goa Ranji cricketer, collapsed on a cricket ground while playing a local tournament in Margao town in South Goa on Sunday afternoon. He died soon at a local hospital, said the tournament organisers.
Poorv Bhembre, secretary of the Margao Cricket Club, informed that the deceased cricketer had scored 30 runs and was at the non-striker’s end when he collapsed. As soon as the mishap happened, Ghodge was immediately shifted to the nearby ESI hospital,. He was then taken to a private health facility in Margao town, located 30 km south of Panaji. However, the attempt to save him failed as the doctors declared him dead. The deceased was also the honourary joint secretary of the tournament organising club.
Bhembre said that Ghodge, who has played two Ranji matches for Goa and represented the state in several one-day matches in the 1990s, had no history of medical issues.
“He used to play cricket almost everyday. We are completely shocked with what has happened today (Sunday),” Bhembre said.
In 2 first-class matches, Ghodge scored 76 runs. He also played 8 list A games for Goa, scoring 115 runs with the help of one fifty.