Virendra Naik of the Marredpally Sporting club tragically passed away during an A-3 Division One-Day league match at the Marredpally Playground on Sunday afternoon.
He had made a 66 against his team’s rivals - the Marredpally Blues - and was watching from the pavilion after getting out when he collapsed to the floor, hitting his head against a wall in the process.
The 41 year old leaves behind his wife, an eight year-old son, and a five year-old daughter.
Mr. Naik’s last rites will be performed in his hometown of Sawantwadi, in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, after the West Marredpally police release his body once the postmortem at the Gandhi Hospital is completed.
Cardiac arrest is the suspected cause of death, and Mr. Naik’s brother Avinash stated that Virendra had been taking medication for chest conditions, and that he didn’t believe any foul play was involved.
A former Blues player and doctor attempted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on Mr. Naik and told the bystanders to take him to a hospital immediately. Unfortunately, Mr. Naik did not last to that point. He was declared dead on arrival at the Yashoda Hospital in Secunderabad.
Mr. Naik's teammates voiced their grief following the tragedy.
“It’s sad to lose Viren. He has been playing for our club for seven years and always came across as a very decent and well-behaved family man who kept away from post-match parties. He worked as a team leader at HSBC and was a true sport,” Sporting secretary S. Venkateshwaran said.
His captain, Tript Singh, said "I'm still in shock. He will be dearly missed. I believe he is in a good place now, and that his family will get better."
