New Delhi, 27 February (H.S.):

Indian cricketer Rinku Singh suffered a profound personal loss as his father, Khachand Singh, passed away early this morning at around 4:36 AM after a prolonged battle with stage-4 liver cancer.

Khachand Singh breathed his last at Yatharth Hospital in Greater Noida, where he had been critically ill and on ventilator support with ongoing renal therapy.

Family members confirmed that despite intensive medical efforts to stabilize his condition, Khachand's health deteriorated rapidly in recent days.

The tragedy unfolded while Rinku was with the Indian team at the T20 World Cup. He had rushed home from the Super 8 match against Zimbabwe when his father's condition worsened, rejoining the squad in Chennai afterward. Following the demise, Rinku has returned home once more.Rinku did not feature in the playing XI against Zimbabwe, where Sanju Samson and Axar Patel were included instead; Samson opened, Ishan Kishan batted lower, and Tilak Varma served as finisher. Rinku supported the team as a substitute fielder.

In the tournament so far, he has played five matches, scoring 24 runs in his finisher role.

India faces a pivotal, near-knockout Super 8 game against West Indies in Kolkata next, leaving Rinku's availability in doubt. Neither the BCCI nor team management has issued an official statement on his participation.

Teammates stand in solidarity during this ordeal, as the cricket fraternity rallies around the grieving star.Tributes Pour InFormer Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed condolences, stating, Deeply saddened by the news of Shri Khachand Singh ji's passing. This is an extremely tough time for Rinku and his family during the T20 World Cup. My thoughts are with them. May Waheguru grant peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family.

The entire cricketing world extends its sympathies to Rinku's family.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar