“A man with a heart of gold” - Cricket fraternity pays tribute as veteran industrialist Ratan Tata dies aged 86
Ratan Tata, the former chairman of the Tata Group - one of India’s largest and most influential business conglomerates - died on Wednesday, October 9. The 86-year-old was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai on Monday, October 7, for age-related health issues and to manage his blood pressure, before passing away two days later.
The Indian industrialist and philanthropist served as chairman of Tata Group and Tata Sons from 1990 to 2012, later taking on the role of interim chairman from October 2016 to February 2017.
As India mourned the loss of its veteran industrialist and Padma Vibhushan awardee, the cricket fraternity took to social media to pay tribute to Ratan Tata. Here are some of their reactions:
"A man with a heart of gold. Sir, you will forever be remembered as someone who truly cared and lived his life to make everyone else’s better," wrote Indian Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma.
"End of an era. The epitome of kindness, most inspirational, marvel of a man. Sir, you have touched so many hearts. Your life has been a blessing to the nation. Thank you for your endless and unconditional service. Your legacy will live on. Rest in glory, sir," wrote Suryakumar Yadav.
“Rest in Peace to an Indian icon. A role model to many & inspiration to the entire nation. Mr. Ratan Tata, your legacy will continue to live on forever, wrote Dinesh Karthik on X.
“An institution who embodied excellence, vision, and humility. A philanthropist par excellence. A massive loss to society. Condolences to the entire Tata family. God bless his soul,” wrote former Indian player and coach Ravi Shastri.
“His contribution to the Indian economy is unmatchable” - BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla mourns the passing of Ratan Tata
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajeev Shukla took to X to share his thoughts on the passing of Ratan Tata. He wrote:
“Deeply saddened to hear the demise of the doyen of Indian industry Ratan Tata. He was a wonderful person and his contribution to the Indian economy is unmatchable. RIP.”
Meanwhile, in cricket, India secured an 86-run victory over Bangladesh in the second game of the three-match T20I series on Wednesday in Delhi.