(Cricket News) Sunil Dev, the former secretary of Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), breathed his last on Wednesday after an extended period of illness. He was 75 years old and is survived by his wife and children.
Throughout his affiliation with DDCA from the late 1970s until 2015, Dev became synonymous with the organization. He also actively participated in diverse sub-committees of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during his tenure as a sports administrator.
However, Sunil’s pinnacle moment arrived when he assumed the role of administrative manager for the Indian team that emerged victorious in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup held in South Africa.
Sunil also undertook the role of an administrative manager during India’s tours of South Africa in 1996 and England in 2014.
A master storyteller by nature, Dev embodied the diverse facets of the DDCA, spanning both positive and negative aspects.
His contrarian viewpoints on various policy matters within the DDCA often led to divided opinions, cultivating both advocates and adversaries in equal proportion.
From 1990 through the first decade of the new millennium, there existed a phase during which no Ranji Trophy or age-group team could proceed without obtaining his endorsement.
Notably, accomplished journalist James Astill, the Asia Editor of the ‘Economist’, recounted an encounter with Dev in his acclaimed book “The Great Tamasha.” Astill detailed how Dev’s explanations and dramatic flair regarding ticket sales for a specific game at the Kotla left him amused.
Numerous anecdotes circulated regarding Dev’s distinctive working style, with a handful eventually evolving into urban legends over time.
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