Coach Gurcharan Singh walks out to bat at 87, picture goes viral

Veteran coach and former first-class cricketer Gurcharan Singh walked out to bat at the age of 87 which was highly appreciated by many fans. Veteran sports journalist Vijay Lokapally took to social media to share the picture which is now making rounds on the platforms, garnering a lot of attention from the fans. 

Gurcharan Singh featured in 37 First-Class matches in which he scored 1,198 runs including a century. Furthermore, he was adorned with the prestigious Dronacharya Award, India’s highest sports coaching honour. The picture shared by the journalist on Twitter was reposted by many fans and was appreciated as he donned the Whites and cladded in full cricket gear at that age.

Mr Gurcharan Singh. Lovable coach. True Dronacharya. Going out to bat. He is 86. See the excitement. He always says "my oxygen comes from the ground." He has produced 15 internationals and close to 100 national players. What a magnificent inspiration. A father figure 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/uvmaeuNTGn

— Vijay Lokapally 🇮🇳 (@vijaylokapally) December 28, 2022

“Mr. Gurcharan Singh. Lovable coach. True Dronacharya. Going out to bat. He is 86. See the excitement. He always says “my oxygen comes from the ground.” He has produced 15 internationals and close to 100 national players. What a magnificent inspiration. A father figure,” Lokapally tweeted as he shared the picture on the platform.

During his time, he groomed as many as 15 international cricketers and over 100 national players which includes the likes of former greats such as Maninder Singh, Kirti Azad, Gursharan Singh, Ajay Jadeja and Murali Kartik among others. Adding to this, he was a major figure at the National Stadium in Delhi who had launched the Pace Academy at Gwalior in 1992.

The 87-year-old was born on June 13, 1935, in Lahore and decided to come to Patiala during Partition as a refugee in 1947. His passion for the sport was clearly reflected when he made vital efforts to promote cricket in the corporate sector and groom cricketers from the grassroots level. 

He featured in first-class cricket as right-handed batter and could also bowl off-spin. Furthermore, he represented many regional teams including Patiala and Eastern Punjab States Union, Southern Punjab, and Railways which included stars of that era like - Lala Amarnath, Dattu Phadkar, BB Nimbalkar, Nari Contractor, Budhi Kunderan and Vasant Ranjane.