3 days ago
Punjab wheelchair cricketer Vikram dies of cardiac arrest on board a train; he was 39
A wheelchair cricketer from Punjab died of a cardiac arrest near Mathura junction early on Wednesday, on board a train he was travelling from Ludhiana to Gwalior, officials said. Vikram (39) was part of the Punjab wheelchair cricket team that was going to compete in the seventh Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Memorial T-10 Championship being organised by the Madhya Pradesh Wheelchair Cricket Association in Gwalior from June 5.
The cricketer, who hailed from Pohir village near Ahmedgarh of Punjab's Malerkotla district, had complained of uneasiness when the train was crossing Delhi. Later his health deteriorated and he was declared dead by railway authorities upon arrival at Mathura Junction railway station.
'In 2020, Vikram was selected for the Indian wheelchair cricket team for a Bangladesh series, which was cancelled due to Covid-19. That was the only time he got close to realising his dream of playing for India. Later, he played in inter-zonal and other national tournaments. Unfortunately, we lost Vikram,' said Somjeet Singh Gaur, captain of the Indian Wheelchair cricket team.
Vikram had started playing wheelchair cricket in the last decade. The four associations of differently-abled cricket in India — Wheelchair Cricket India, Indian Deaf Cricket Association, Physically Challenged Cricket Association of India and Cricket Association for the Blind in India — come under one umbrella body Differently Abled Cricket Council of India under the guidance of BCCI secretary Jay Shah in 2021, players like Vikram would get to play in wheelchair cricket tournaments in India.
The Punjab wheelchair cricketer played a vital role in Punjab's title win in the sixth edition of the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Memorial T-10 Championship last year. 'Vikram started playing wheelchair cricket in Ludhiana 8-9 years ago and would practice on his own and bear all expenses through whatever means he could get. Last year, he played an important role in the Punjab team winning the title in the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Memorial T-10 Championship. He was excited about playing in this edition too. When our train was crossing Delhi, he complained of a severe headache and was sweating profusely. We informed the Railways GRP personnel on the train. They told us that doctors would be available at Mathura station. Vikram slept. Later, the train waited for over an hour ahead of Mathura station and we lost Vikram. We informed his family and they will reach here soon to take his body back home. We are also returning to Punjab,' Vikram's teammate Raja told The Indian Express over the phone from Mathura.
Ravi Chauhan, secretary of the Differently Abled Cricket Council of India, told The Indian Express that he received the information about Vikram's demise. 'Various national and international tournaments are organised by Wheel Chair Cricket India under DCCI, but several other tournaments are organised by state associations, too. This was one such tournament and it's unfortunate that we lost a valuable player,' Chauhan said.
Squadron Leader (retd) Abhai Pratap Singh, president of Wheelchair Cricket India and joint secretary, DCCI, too expressed his sorrow at the loss of Vikram. 'While the Punjab chapter of Wheelchair Cricket India is yet to get a new body, players formed the Punjab team, which was going to compete in the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Memorial T-10 Championship. When we got the news of Vikram's demise, we informed our volunteers and officials in Mathura to assist the players. We will see what we can do for Vikram and also consult DCCI. Before any tournament, there are medical check-ups of every player and it was unfortunate that Vikram's health condition emerged before he reached Gwalior and he could not be saved,' he said.
Gaur, meanwhile, urged the BCCI to undertake the DCCI. 'We urge the BCCI to undertake the DCCI directly and support the specially-abled players and associations so that such incidents can be avoided,' Gaur added.
Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships.
An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
