&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Rajesh Banik, former India U-15 cricketer and Tripura captain, dies in road accident")
In devastating news coming out of East India, former India Under-15 cricketer and Tripura captain in Ranji Trophy, Rajesh Banik, died in a road accident, a Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) official said in a statement. Rajesh, 40, was survived by his father, mother and brother, PTI reported. Since making his Ranji debut for his state side during the 2001-02 season, Rajesh was among Tripura’s leading players of his time, having played at all age-group levels, and later served as a selector for the state’s Under-16 team.
"This is very unfortunate that we have lost a talented cricketer and selector of the Under-16 cricket team. We are shocked. May his soul rest in peace,” Secretary Subrata Dey said, as quoted by PTI.
Besides, Anirban Deb, Tripura Sports Journalists' Club secretary, also paid tribute, saying, “Not many knew about his ability to identify young talent. That's why he was made one of the selectors of the Under-16 state team," Deb said.
Banik was born on December 12, 1984, and was a right-handed batter and a part-time leg-spinner. He featured in 42 first-class matches for Tripura, scoring 1469 runs, averaging a shallow 19.32. In 24 List A matches, Rajesh scored 378 runs and 203 in all 18 T20s, all between 2001-02 and 2017-28 seasons.
During his time playing for India’s Under-15 team in the Asian Cricket Council Under-15 tournament in Kuala Lumpur in 2000, Banik was teammates with former Indian internationals, Irfan Pathan and Ambati Rayudu. In the same year, alongside the two said players, he was part of India’s U-15 side that toured England.
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Banik represented Tripura at several domestic age-group tournaments, including the Vijay Merchant Trophy, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the CK Nayudu Trophy, the MA Chidambaram Trophy, the Buchi Babu Invitational, the Under-19s Cooch Behar Trophy and the National Under-25 tournament, among others.
Meanwhile, the Tripura senior men's team players, currently playing a Ranji Trophy match in Agartala against Bengal, wore black armbands to pay tribute to the departed soul; the TCA also paid tribute to the former cricketer at its headquarters in Agartala on Saturday.
