The left-handed Indian batsman of yesteryears, who was only six days short of his 58th birthday, was found dead at his home in Chennai in southern India earlier today.
According to the police, VB Chandrasekhar is believed to have taken his own life, leaving the cricket fraternity and his fans in shock.
Cricket great Sachin Tendulkar also condoled his death.
A qualified engineer, the swashbuckling southpaw made his debut against New Zealand at the age of 25 in 1988 and went on to represent India in seven ODIs between 1988 and 1990.
VB, as he was popularly called, was best known for his stint in domestic cricket where he notched up a total of 4999 runs in 81 games with unbeaten innings of 273 for Goa against Kerala, that remains a crowning moment in his career as a batsman.
Until a few years ago, the 57-year-old held the record for the fastest century in the Ranji Trophy, a domestic first-class cricket championship, a feat that paved way for his entry into the national squad in the late 90s.
While VB hung up his boots after a short on-field career, he remained closely connected with the workings of the game through coaching and commentary.
“I have done two years of commentary with him and I can vouch that I became better simply interacting with him. His game reading, grip on technical aspects was mind-blowing and it is a memory I would always cherish,” former Indian wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta told PTI.
His understanding of the game earned him a position as a national selector where he served from 2004 to 2006.
Notably, VB also managed Chennai Super Kings for three years during the franchise’s initial outings and is credited for shepherding former Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni into the team.
Besides these roles, he also had a financial interest in the game. He owned a state-of-the-art cricket academy in Chennai and a team that recently played its last game in the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
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