Former Maharashtra legspinner Gudge dies

Former Maharashtra legspinner Sunil Gudge, 56, passed away on Tuesday at his residence in Pune, following a heart attack. "He was watching TV at home when he suffered the heart attack," according to informed sources.

Born in Pune on December 31, 1959, the legspinner and handy lower-order batsman played 55 first-class matches during a career lasting a decade and a half.

Gudge, an integral part of the strong Maharashtra teams of the 1980s led by Rajendra Bhalekar, Milind Gunjal and Surendra Bhave, took 110 wickets with best figures of 5 for 46. He also scored 1,033 runs from 61 innings with a century to boot.

Gudge was also part of the India Under-22 side that played against the visiting England side in Pune in 1981-82. He also played for the Board Presidents' XI against the touring Sri Lanka and West Indies teams of 86-87 and 87-88 in Gwalior and Visakhapatnam respectively.