3 things you need to know about Yashpal Sharma

1983 World Cup winner Yashpal Sharma passed away on July 13, 2021 at the age of 66 due to a heart attack.

Yashpal Sharma was born in Ludhiana, Punjab and played domestic cricket for Haryana, Punjab and the Railways. Sharma made his ODI debut against Pakistan in Sialkot on October 13, 1978. The Pakistani bowlers dismissed India for just 79 runs in that one-day game. Yashpal was the second-highest run-scorer for India, with 11 runs off 26 deliveries.

Almost ten months later, Yashpal Sharma received his maiden Test cap. He made his Test debut against England at Lord's on August 2, 1979. Incidentally, Sharma scored 11 runs in his first Test innings as well. He remained unbeaten on 5* in the second innings.

In all, Yashpal played 37 Tests and 42 ODIs for India. The right-handed batsman scored 1,606 runs in Tests, while his batting aggregate in ODIs was 883 runs.

On that note, let's take a look at three interesting things from Yashpal's career.

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#1 Yashpal Sharma never got out for a duck in ODIs

Yashpal Sharma always opened his account in his ODI innings

Getting out before opening the account is the worst thing for any batsman. However, Yashpal Sharma never experienced that feeling in his ODI career. Sharma played 40 ODI innings and scored at least one run in each of those innings.

As mentioned earlier, he scored 883 runs in his ODI career. Yashpal's batting average in this format was 28.48, while his strike rate was 63.02, with his highest ODI score being 89.

To date, Yashpal Sharma holds the record for the most ODI innings by an Indian player without a duck. Only Scotland's Matthew Cross (50 innings) and South Africa's Kepler Wessels (105 innings) are ahead of him on the all-time list.

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#2 He was the top-scorer in the 1st semifinal of the 1983 World Cup

Semi final match against England in 1983 World Cup pic.twitter.com/DcIz8cLxjk

— Yashpal Sharma (@cricyashpal) June 25, 2021

India won its maiden Cricket World Cup in 1983. That triumph might not have been possible without Yashpal Sharma's contributions. The Punjab-based batter played two splendid knocks in the competition.

First, he scored 89 runs against the West Indies and helped India defeat the two-time defending champions in the group stage. Next in the semifinals, Yashpal scored 61 runs off 115 balls and powered the Indian team to its first World Cup final.

Hosts England set a 214-run target for India in the first semifinal. Yashpal came out to bat at number four and stitched up an excellent partnership of 92 runs with Mohinder Amarnath. Sharma smashed three fours and two sixes in his knock as India beat England by six wickets.

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#3 Dilip Kumar played an important role in Yashpal Sharma's career

By his own admission, we may not have known of Yashpal Sharma if it weren’t for Dilip Kumar. If this was his last interview, it’s a remarkable gift to all lovers of cricket and cinema. pic.twitter.com/ItOzmgxYF1

— Rahul Fernandes (@newspaperwallah) July 13, 2021

Actor Dilip Kumar recommended Yashpal Sharma's name to former BCCI president and selector, Raj Singh Dungarpur, after he scored a century in both innings of a Ranji Trophy knockout match.

During a recent interview, Yashpal revealed that he became an international cricketer after Kumar Saab took note of his brilliance and recommended his name.