Former BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary dies of cardiac arrest
Former secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Amitabh Choudhary, died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday. Choudhary, 58, also served as the president of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) for over a decade. He was Team India's manager in 2005-06 on the Zimbabwe tour. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren condoled the demise of Amitabh Choudhary, also a former IPS.
Choudhary worked his fingers to the bone in shaping Jharkhand cricket. Under him, Ranchi became the headquarters of Jharkhand cricket as the base was shifted from Jamshedpur. In 2013, the JSCA International Stadium Complex was inaugurated in his supervision. One end of the stadium was named after him. It is also the home ground of former Indian captain MS Dhoni.
Former BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, a colleague of Amitabh, also condoled the death of the latter. "Amitabh's contribution to the game of cricket in Jharkhand was immense. He will be missed by JSCA and it will be difficult to fill the void left by him in Jharkhand. I offer my condolences to his family, friends and well wishers," he told The Indian Express.
Choudhary first ventured into cricket administration in 2004. He then served as JSCA president for over a decade. From 2013 to 2015, Choudhary operated as BCCI's joint-secretary during the reign of Anurag Thakur as the board's president. In the years to come, Choudhary became an integral member of several BCCI committees, as a representative of East Zone.
Choudhary was passionate about cricket. As stated, he traveled with Team India as the manager on the 2005-06 Zimbabwe tour. The tour was followed by the infamous Sourav Ganguly-Greg Chappell saga. Later, Choudhary also worked under the CoA in the BCCI. He also managed the rift between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble, which resulted in the latter's exit as India coach.
