A legspinner and a lively character, Sanjay Kirtane made his Ranji Trophy debut for Maharashtra in 1964 but found it hard to command a steady place in the star-studded side of the 1960s. His captain Chandu Borde, who described him as a "happy-go-lucky" man, said he could easily be classified as an allrounder as he was an "attractive" batsman.

As a spinner his strength was his flight but the presence of Nicholas Saldanha and Vithal Joshi, two senior spinners, meant he could never be picked solely on his bowling prowess. A medical practitioner, Kirtane managed to divide his time between his profession and his sport. His final game was the famous 1971 Ranji Trophy final, when Sudhir Naik led Mumbai to victory over Maharashtra despite missing six key players on duty with the Indian team in the West Indies.

A versatile sportsperson, Kirtane was equally impressive at badminton and tennis. He suffered from diabetes and eventually succumbed to the condition. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter. Sandeep, his son, has represented India at the Davis Cup.
Nagraj Gollapudi