Respected cricket coach Gokul Singh Pathania left for his heavenly abode in Gurugram on Tuesday night. Pathania's passing sent a wave of grief across cricketing circles in the state capital.
As per sources close to the bereaved family, Pathania breathed his last at his daughter Sonia's residence in the Haryana city. Remembering Pathania's contribution to the city's cricket, his mentee Amitabh Verma said, "The credit for introducing a systematic club and academy structure in Bhopal goes solely to Pathania Sir."
He organised club cricket in Bhopal and coached several renowned cricketers, including JP Yadav, Ramesh Saswatkar, Mahendra Saswatkar, Dilip Awasthi, Shailesh Shukla, Sohail Ansari, and Farhan Ansari, among many others. An NIS-trained coach, Pathania established the first regular coaching setup in the new Bhopal area at TT Nagar. Despite his transfer to Chandigarh a few years later, Pathania returned to his beloved Bhopal, where he continued to mentor young talent. He dedicated many years to coaching cricketers in Bhopal before eventually moving to Gurugram to live with his daughter. However, he remained a frequent visitor to the city. Pathania's last rites were performed in Gurugram. He is survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter. The Pioneer extends condolences and salutes the departed soul.