Saurashtra cricketer Avi Barot suffers cardiac arrest, dies aged 29

Saurashtra cricket player, Avi Barot, died at the young age of 29 after suffering a cardiac arrest on Friday, October 15. The Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) informed that the former India Under-19 captain and a member of the Ranji Trophy-winning team in the 2019-20 season breathed his last at a very young age. 

Expressing deep sympathy and condolences for the death of the player who represented Harayana and Gujarat in his cricket career, SCA, in a press release, stated, "Everyone at Saurashtra Cricket Association (is) deeply shocked and saddened on (the) very shocking, untimely and extremely sad demise of Avi Barot, remarkable and notable cricketer of Saurashtra. He left for his heavenly abode in the evening of 15th October 2021 due to severe cardiac arrest".

SCA President and former Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah said, "This is absolutely shocking and painful to learn about Avi's sad demise. He was a great teammate and had great cricketing skills. In all recent domestic matches, he had performed remarkably well". 

Further expressing his shock over Avi Barot's death, he said everyone at the Saurashtra Cricket Association is in deep shock as Barot was a friendly and noble human being. 

Avi Barot's career

Avi Barot was a right-handed wicket-keeper batter who could bowl off-breaks as well. As a wicket-keeper-batter, he had played 38 first-class matches, 38 List A games, and 20 domestic T20 matches. He had scored 1,547 runs in first-class matches, 1,030 runs in list-A matches, and 717 runs in T20s.

As part of the Saurashtra team, Barot had played 21 Ranji Trophy matches, 17 List A matches, and 11 domestic T20 games. He was also part of the Ranji Trophy-winning Saurashtra team, which had defeated Bengal in the summit clash in March last year. In 2011, he was India U-19 captain.

Earlier this year, his stupendous 122-run knock in just 53 balls grabbed the nation's attention during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Goa.

(With inputs from PTI, Image: BCCI)