Disappointing to see a young life end so soon: Ganguly

A day after the untimely death of former under-19 Bengal skipper Ankit Keshri, ex-India captain Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday said it was "disappointing" to see a young life end so soon.

"It's disappointing, it's sad to see a young boy's life come to an end at the young age of 20. It was not good. He was just seven years older to my daughter. To see a sportsman lose his life at that age is sad," Ganguly told IANS on the sidelines of an event here for Coca-Cola India, NDTV and UN-Habitat's Support My School programme, which he has lent support to.

Comparing the incident with that of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher's accident, Ganguly, who is also the joint secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), said: "Sport is something where you cannot assure guarantee (that there will be no injury) because it is such high contact, high speed.

"Look at Michael Schumacher, somebody as great as him went into coma for such a long time. That's the life we have lived and that's the life millions of athletes and sportsmen who want to be successful have to lead."

Australian batsman Phillip Hughes died of a similar injury late last year after being hit by a bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match. He died on November 27, two days after the incident.

"It has also happened with Philip Hughes. He had all the facilities and everything. But when you get hit in certain areas of your body, I think at times it gets beyond doctors," he said.

"I think BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and CAB provide everything to cricketers. They do it. They provide support for all the places. They provide insurance policies to look after. Nothing wrong from their side. They are doing a wonderful job," Ganguly said, referring the work being done by both the BCCI and the CAB in ensuring player safety.

"There is something which only one person controls - the almighty. On the ground, none of us do it... So when he takes it away, you can't do much about it," concluded Ganguly.