Former cricketer A.G. Milkha Singh passes away, BCCI condoles death

Former India left-hand batsman Amritsar Govindsingh Milkha Singh passed away following cardiac arrest at a hospital here on Friday.

A prolific left-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pacer, Singh scored 92 runs in four Test matches at an average of 15.33.

Singh, 75, is survived by his wife, a son and daughter.

Singh belonged to a famous cricketing family. His father Amritsar Govindsingh Ram Singh and elder brother Kripal Singh both played the game.

His father was an all-rounder, who played for Madras and was just the second player in history to achieve the Ranji Trophy double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets.

His elder brother Kripal Singh also played in 14 Test matches for India. He played a leading role in Tamil Nadu winning the Ranji Trophy in 1954/55, scoring 636 runs and taking 13 wickets.

In a condolence messaged, the BCCI said: "The BCCI condoles the sad demise of A.G. Milkha Singh, a former Test player who passed away on Friday. Singh played four Test matches and made his India debut just after turning 18."

Born in Chennai, he played 88 first-class games for Madras (now Tamil Nadu) and scored 4,324 runs with eight centuries and 27 half-centuries.

The dashing southpaw was the first to score a century in the Duleep Trophy when he struck 151 for South Zone in 1961-62.

Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi took to Twitter to express his condolences.

"Once the most attacking left-hand batsman of his times, A.G. Milkha Singh is no more...'AG' clan is diminishing...RIP Micky... Guru MEHR Kareh..!!" tweeted the legendary left-arm spinner.

--IANS

sam/dg