Renowned Marathi cricket commentator and writer Bal Pandit died on 17 September 2015 in Pune, Maharashtra. He was 89.
Bal Pandit had a great contribution in popularizing cricket among masses through his vernacular Marathi commentary in radio, articles in news papers and magazines and books.
Before the advent of satellite television channels, Bal Pandit worked as a Marathi commentator for both domestic and international matches on All India Radio (AIR) for over 4 decades.
He popularized cricket by using Marathi equivalent words for original cricketing parlance in English and lucid language.
He wrote 30 books on various aspects of cricket.
His columns and articles on cricket appeared regularly in newspapers and magazines that enriched readers’ knowledge of the game.
He translated Sunil Gavaskar’s autobiography Sunny Days into Marathi.
He was bestowed with Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Award in 1978 by the Maharashtra Government in recognition of his contribution to the game of cricket.