India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's close friend and former Ranji teammate Santosh Lal, the inventor of famous helicopter shot, today passed away while undergoing treatment for pancreatitis at a hospital in Delhi.
The former Ranji player is survived by parents, wife and a three-year-old daughter. He was 32.
The body is expected to arrive here later in the day.
An employee of the Railways, Lal was identified with acute pancreatitis and was admitted in a unconscious state at a Ranchi hospital before being airlifted to the national capital on July 15.
Jharkhand State Cricket Association, which donated Rs 1 lakh to Lal for his treatment and Rs 39,500 was collected among the association members and handed over to his family, held a condolence meeting in memory of the cricketer at the JSCA stadium in Ranchi on Tuesday.
Dhoni, who was also extending all possible help to his friend, had always met Lal whenever he was in town and reportedly credited his helicopter shot to Lal.
