Hemant Kanitkar, the former Indian batsman, died at the age of 72, after a prolong illness in his residence in Pune.
Kanitkar played 87 first-class matches as wicketkeeper from 1963 to 1978, and was picked to play for the national team in two Tests in 1974 against West Indies. He scored a century on his first-class debut for Maharashtra against Saurashtra in 1963-64 at the Poona Club, his home ground. After topping the Ranji Trophy run-charts twice, including in 1970-71 when Maharashtra made it to the final, Kanitkar earned the India call-up for the home series against West Indies.
In 1973, he was awarded the Indian Cricketer of the year, thanks to his outstanding performance in domestic cricket.
In Ranji Trophy for his side Maharashtra he aggregated 3,632 runs at an average of 43.75, with a career-high score of 250 against Rajasthan in 1970-71.
He is survived by his wife, and sons Hrishikesh and Aditya, both of whom have been sports professionals. Hrishikesh played two Tests and 34 ODIs for India, while Aditya played golf, and is now a golf coach.