Former cricket coach Rajabhau Oak dead

Former cricket coach Rajabhau Oak, who mentored several players, including those who represented Maharashtra, died here Tuesday due to old age.

He was 85.

"Oak sir died at a hospital here Tuesday morning. He (Rajabhau) was the coach at the Deodhar Trust (a cricket academy). He was also the coach of Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya (a school in Pune) and both were good teams. He had also coached S P College," Maharashtra coach Surendra Bhave, who was trained by Oak, told PTI over phone.

"The Deodhar Trust used to run on the interest on the prize money received by Prof D B Deodhar from the government. Many players came forward through it. Rajabhau worked tirelessly for cricket and also managed affairs of the Deodhar Trust for about 35-40 years. His contribution (to the game) was huge," Bhave added.

According to Bhave, who played 97 first-class matches along with him, players like former off-spinner Shantanu Sugvekar were trained by Oak.

Former Maharashtra speedster Pandurang Salgaonkar said Oak's contribution to the sport was "immense".