Former Tripura captain and first-class cricketer Rajesh Banik has passed away in a tragic road accident at Anandanagar in western Tripura. A Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) official confirmed this on Saturday November 1. He was just 40 years old and, according to a report of PTI, is survived by his parents and brother.
The secretary of TCA, Subrata Dey, expressed his sorrow over Banik’s death and said, “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.”Banik represented Tripura in many domestic tournaments.Later, he also served as a selector for Tripura’s Under-16 team.
Banik was born on December 12, 1984, and made his Ranji Trophy debut for Tripura in the 2001–02 season. He played 42 first-class matches, where he scored 1,469 runs at an average of 19.32. He was also the part of 24 List A matches and 18 T20s between 2001 and 2018.
He also shared the field with Irfan Pathan and Ambati Rayudu in the India Under-15 team that played the ACC Under-15 tournament in Kuala Lumpur and also went on to tour England in the same year.
The Tripura senior team, currently playing against Bengal in the Ranji Trophy in Agartala, wore black armbands to pay homage to Banik.
Anirban Deb, secretary of the Tripura Sports Journalists’ Club, praised his contribution to U16 state team and said, “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.”
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