Haresh Pandya, an independent journalist who contributed to many Indian and overseas periodicals including Sportstar and The New York Times, passed away in Rajkot on Saturday. He was 53.
An English teacher at the Virani Science College, Pandya made the time to pursue his passion for cricket reporting and interviewing players.
Pandya, who has been witness to the rise of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja, had even interviewed the former after he scored a double century — his 12th in First Class cricket — against Jharkhand earlier this month.
Pandya, who used to be in correspondence with cricketers such as Sir Don Bradman, was also a collector of cricket books. “When I was in college, I received a book from Scyld Berry, and that spurred me on to write on cricket,” he had recently said.
Pandya is survived by wife and son.
The Saurashtra Cricket Association said in a release: “Everyone in SCA is deeply saddened and shocked by the demise of Haresh Pandya, a remarkable sports journalist. Haresh Pandya’s articles and coverage on cricket were exceptional and remarkable.”