A Delhi great passes away

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 16

On Sunday, Delhi lost a great. Chetan Chauhan, 73, passed away due to complications arising out of Covid-19, and Delhi lost its very own Khadoos who taught many strokeplayers how to play long innings.

Chauhan started his First-Class career with Maharashtra but switched over to Delhi in 1974. He brought with him a determination to grind the opposition out, a trait associated with Mumbai’s batsmen. Venkat Sundaram, his first opening partner, recalled how Chauhan constructed his innings. “He was not an impressive batsman in the sense of being a strokeplayer. He was principled. He played a few shots that he was sure of,” Sundaram commented.

He was also loyal to a fault. After retiring, he became the manager of the Delhi team, which was then being coached by his former captain Bishan Singh Bedi. Bedi had several run-ins with the DDCA sports committee on selection issues. The committee members approached Chauhan to intervene on their behalf but he declined.