Ravi Shastri pays homage to BCCI's 'undisputed champion' Jagmohan Dalmiya

Ravi Shastri on Tuesday paid tributes to Jagmohan Dalmiya, describing the late Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief as the 'undisputed heavyweight champion' of the Indian cricket team board.

Terming Dalmiya's contribution to the country's cricket as 'massive', Shastri said the former ICC president left a stamp on the game on behalf of BCCI and within the board as well.

"In his prime, he batted like Vivian Richards. He played more shots than any other administrator, got more hundreds, and wielded the stick like no other," said Shastri, who is the current director of the Team India.

"I used to call him the undisputed heavyweight champion of BCCI. He was like Muhammad Ali of the BCCI. He would lose the world title and comeback and take the world title. As the destiny would have it, he was the sitting president when he went," Shastri added.

Dalmiya, who was hailed as the architect of India's rise as the game's financial superpower, passed away in a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday. He was 75.

Shastri is currently with the Indian team, which is training at National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru ahead of the upcoming series against South Africa.