Veteran cricket administrator Amitabh Choudhary passed away in the early hours on Tuesday, Jharkhand State Cricket Association officials confirmed. Choudhary, 58, helmed the JSCA for more than a decade and also rose to become the BCCI’s joint-secretary. During the Committee of Administrators’ regime in the cricket board, he also served as its acting secretary.
Choudhary’s long-time colleague, former BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, condoled the veteran administrator’s death. “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 was instrumental in making Ranchi the headquarters of Jharkhand cricket, shifting the base from Jamshedpur. A world-class stadium was built there under his watch and fittingly one end of the stadium was named after him.
A former IPS, Choudhary dabbled into politics as well. But cricket was his passion. He was the Indian team manager in Zimbabwe in 2005-06, a tour that marked the beginning of the Sourav Ganguly-Greg Chappell fallout. Later, working under the CoA in the BCCI, he faced tougher administrative challenges. He also had to deal with the Virat Kohli-Anil Kumble saga that saw the latter’s acrimonious exit as India coach.
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