A shorter-version specialist,who shone briefly

Obit: Friends,Team mates remember kishor bhikane,who died in a road mishap

Nikhil Paradkars mind drifted often to the day he accompanied Kishor Bhikane to the showroom to take delivery of a gleaming motorcycle,the very one the 24-year-old all-rounder was riding when he met with the fatal road accident on Sunday evening in Latur. Paradkar was dealing with the pain following the death of friend,also a teammate for other Maharashtra players here in Delhi to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy. For Paradkar,perhaps,more than others,the loss was shattering as he knew Bhikane since his Under-15 days.

The motorcycle Bhikane was riding was an award he bagged for best bowler during the Maharashtra Premier League MPL. He was awarded the bike in September. I was along with him when we picked up the bike. I am shocked at his sudden passing away, Paradkhar said.

While Bhikane wasnt part of this one-day squad it was only recently that he had shared the dressing room with the Maharashtra players participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Another Maharashtra player Rohit Motwani recalled his recent interaction with Bhikane. He played alongside us in the T20 tournament and we also played practice games in Mumbai 10 days ago. Every player was upset before the game against Punjab today but we had to go out and play. Though he wasnt part of this side but he had been calling up our physio to stay updated with the scores in the West Zone qualifiers, Rohit Motwani said.

Bhikanes exploits were not restricted to Twenty20 cricket alone. Bhikane represented Maharashtra in almost every age group tournament. When he was part of the Under-15 team he was called up for the Under-19 camp.

The year in which he was called up to the Under-19 camp he bowled really well. I recall a great spell during which he dismissed Ajinkya Rahane on two occasions, Paradkar said.

Kedar Jogalekar,Bhikanes coach at Devagiri Emperors,a MPL team said: Pace wasnt his strength but he was a fine bowler in the death, Jogalekar said.

He was a capable hitter too.

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On his Ranji debut,Bhikane scored a quickfire 47. What made it special was that it was against a Baroda attack that included Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel. I remember him hitting huge sixes in that particular game, Jogalekar said.

National selector Surender Bhave said that Bhikane had a very good in swinger and was a handy batsman,especially in the shorter formats of the game. Bhikane was from Latur and came from a humble background. His father is a driver while his mother is a housewife.

Bhikanes MPL teammate and his best friend Akshay Tandale said,I just cannot believe that Kishor is no more. We played a match together yesterday. The accident occurred when he was returning home. I havent been able to sleep since, Tandale said.

His teammate at the Emperors Kunal Marathe remembers Bhikane as someone who was always smiling. He was the life of the dressing room,he used to crack jokes and keep everyone in splits,we will miss him terribly.

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Coach Joglekar said that Bhikane owned a calm mind. I dont ever remember him swearing at an opponent.