The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) mourned the passing away of former Tamil Nadu coach and BCCI match referee DJ Gokulakrishnan on Wednesday. He passed away at the age of 50 after a brief illness.
During the 1993/94 and 2003/04 seasons, Gokulakrishnan, a right-arm medium-pacer, batted in the lower middle order and made 39 first-class and 45 List-A appearances. In addition to his top-notch career, he scored over 1000 runs at an average of over 24 and claimed over 100 wickets.
After his retirement from on-field cricket, he joined the coaching staff. In 2008, he was the assistant coach of the Tamil Nadu team. He was also the coach of the Indian Premier League franchise Kings XI Punjab for a brief period. In 2016, he was appointed as a BCCI match referee.
Gokulakrishnan was a popular figure in the Indian cricket fraternity. He was famous for his commitment to the game and his desire for coaching. His death is a huge loss to the Indian cricket community.
The former coach of Tamil Nadu and BCCI match supervisor, DJ Gokulakrishnan, passed away unexpectedly, the CSK franchise announced in a statement.