Vijay Mehra dies at 68

Vijay Mehra, the former Indian opener, has died of a heart attack in Delhi this morning. Mehra's death was sudden and he collapsed while reading a newspaper at 8.15 am, it was reported. He was 68.

Mehra, a prodigy of just 17 when he made his debut, played eight Tests for India between 1955 and 1964 and will always be remembered for his courageous 62 against England at Calcutta, a knock where he continued batting even after fracturing his right thumb. A pugnacious 62 in the second Test of the 1962 West Indies tour, when India were completely outclassed, was also one of Mehra's highpoints.

"He was a very dear friend and I was even supposed to have dinner with him tomorrow night," former Indian captain Bishan Singh Bedi told Cricinfo. "As a player he was limited in talent but excelled within those limitations. He was a technician who used to build his innings, not one to take risks. We're both from Amritsar and we had the same coach [Gyan Prakash]. He was an absolute fitness freak and had a tremendous sense of humour, something so badly lacking in the modern world."

"You could call him a strokeless wonder but he was a very gutsy cricketer," Raju Bharatan, a veteran journalist, told Cricinfo. "How many players, in that era, were willing to open against pace?"

Mehra - who played for Railways, Punjab and Delhi - managed 5636 runs in first-class cricket (at 34.36) and had a successful first-class career that stretched for more than two decades. After retirement, he was active in Delhi cricket admininstration and was also a national selector. He also made a name as an expert commentator with television and radio. He was the expert commentator for All India Radio on India's recent Test series against West Indies and regaled the press with his quirky sense of humour.

He is survived by a son and a daughter. His son, Ajay Mehra, played 46 first-class matches for Punjab and Rajasthan in the '90s.