T20 World Cup 2021: Team India wears black armbands against Namibia to mourn Tarak Sinha's demise

Indian players wore black armbands in their final Super12 fixture at the T20 World Cup against Namibia as a mark of respect to Tarak Sinha, the renowned coach from Delhi, who passed away after a long battle with lung cancer on November 6, aged 71.

A father figure in India’s domestic and international circuit, Sinha tutored and shaped the careers of countless players under his watchful guidance over four decades, including the likes of Surinder Khanna, Sanjeev Sharma, Manoj Prabhakar, the late Raman Lamba, KP Bhaskar, Ajay Sharma, Atul Wassan, Aakash Chopra, Anjum Chopra, Rumeli Dhar, Ashish Nehra, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Rana and many more.

“#TeamIndia is wearing black armbands today to pay their tributes to Dronacharya Awardee and widely respected coach Shri Tarak Sinha, who sadly passed away on Saturday,” a BCCI tweet read on November 8.

#TeamIndia is wearing black armbands today to pay their tributes to Dronacharya Awardee and widely respected coach Shri Tarak Sinha, who sadly passed away on Saturday.#T20WorldCup #INDvNAM pic.twitter.com/U2LHEtsuN9

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 8, 2021

Sinha, who was unmarried, is survived by his sister. India and Delhi cricketer Shikhar Dhawan performed his last rites, while Ashish Nehra also flew to attend his coach’s funeral. Sinha, a Dronacharya awardee, coached as many as three generations of Indian cricketers and founded the renowned Sonnet Club in Delhi in 1969.

“It is with heavy heart we have to share this tragic news of Shri Tarak Sinha, the founder of Sonnet Club, has left us for heavenly abode at 3 am on Saturday after a brave battle with lung cancer for two months,” the Sonnet Cricket Club said in a statement after his demise.

“He has been the soul of Sonnet Cricket Club which has given India and Delhi cricket so many gems. We want to thank each and everyone who has been by his side in these trying times and prayed for his recovery. We also want to appreciate the efforts put in by the doctors in Jaipur and Delhi who worked tirelessly to revive him.

“Tarak sir’s pride was his students, and his support through this period kept him going. He was only thinking about grooming young talent during this battle. Even at the age of 70, he was enthusiastic about getting to the field and working on young cricketers.

“He was in good spirits till his last breath, believing he could still get up on his feet! It’s a heavy day for all of us at Sonnet Club, the cricket fraternity and most importantly the students who have always seen him as a guardian.”