Sport - Tennis

Premjit Lall passes away

New Delhi: Former Davis Cup player Premjit Lall on Wednesday passed away at his residence in Kolkata after a prolonged illness.

Lall, who played some memorable Grand Slam and Davis cup matches for India, had suffered a brain stroke 10 years ago and was on wheel chair since then. He breathed his last at 6:30 p.m., according to family sources. He was 68 and is survived by two sons and a daughter.

He along with Jaideep Mukherjea, S.P. Misra and Ramanathan Krishnan made a formidable Indian quartet in the 1960s. He was a recipient of Arjuna Award and also a four-time National champion.

Indian tennis fraternity bemoaned the loss of one of its great players. Former Davis Cup captain Akhtar Ali said Lall’s death was a personal loss to him.

“We practised together and played together for years. He was the most handsome player at that time. It’s a very sad moment for us. Premjit, myself and Jaideep were called three musketeers from Kolkata. He was a great human being and a very close friend,” Ali said.

India’s current non-playing Davis Cup captain S.P. Misra was also shocked at the news of his death. “He was in a very bad shape for quite some time. But I did not expect this to happen. I met him a few days ago. He was having difficulty in speaking to us.” — PTI

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