Former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar was shocked to know about the demise of his former teammate Yashpal Sharma and said he was the fittest among the players who won the World Cup 1983 in England.

Yashpal Sharma dies of cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning in Delhi and survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

Also Read: Yashpal Sharma, former batsman, dies of cardiac arrest

“This is unbelievable. I cannot believe that this can happen. We just met last week and he was so fit, he was a fitness freak. Absolutely shocking,” said Vengsarkar on Aaj Tak.

Vengsarkar mentioned he met Yashpal Sharma and the rest of the World Cup-winning squad just a few weeks ago and he looked so fit.

“Last week we met up, the ’83 World Cup team. He was the fittest of us all and I asked what the secret was to his fitness. He said he is a vegetarian and he goes for walks every day. That’s why I am saying that I can’t believe that this news is true. I can’t believe it,” he added.

“I will be speaking to the family. The news is just sinking in.”

Also Read: Cricket fraternity mourns Yashpal Sharma’s demise, Twitter reaction

Emotions and tributes started pouring in since the news of his demise as several former cricketers paid homage to the departed soul.

Yashpal represented India in 37 ODIs and 42 Tests and was a crucial part of the Indian middle-order from 1979-83. He also served as a national selector for a couple of years and was reappointed to the panel in 2008.

He was the second-highest run-scorer in Team India’s historic triumph of World Cup 1983, where they defeated West Indies in the final at Lord’s. He was top-scorer in three matches during the tournament and rescued India’s ship several times with his batting.