New Delhi, August 16

Former cricketer and UP cabinet minister Chetan Chauhan died on Sunday due to COVID-19 related complications, his brother Pushpendra Chauhan said.

Chauhan, who played 40 Tests for India, was 73.

He is survived by his wife and son Vinayak, who is scheduled to arrive from Melbourne later in the day.

Due to kidney related ailments, his health had deteriorated and he was shifted to Medanta hospital in Gurgaon where he had been put on life support for nearly 36 hours.

“My elder brother Shri Chetan Chauhan has left us today after fighting a good battle. I sincerely thank everyone who had prayed for his recovery. His son Vinayak will be reaching anytime and we will then perform last rites,” Pushpendra told PTI.

Chauhan, who was Sunil Gavaskar’s longest serving opening partner, was earlier admitted to Sanjay Gandhi PGI in Lucknow on July 12 after being found COVID-19 positive.

On Friday night, he had a multi-organ failure and was put on ventilator support.

Chauhan was a cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government. He held the portfolios of Sainik Welfare, Home Guards, PRD and Civil Security. The BJP leader was earlier elected to Lok Sabha twice.

He is the second UP minister to have succumbed to coronavirus.

On August 2, state technical education minister Kamla Rani Varun, 62, had died days after testing positive for Covid-19. — PTI