Ravi Shastri issues public apology for false Nari Contractor demise report

In an unforeseen event, former Indian cricketer, Ravi Shastri, released a public apology after mistakenly announcing news related to the demise of erstwhile Indian stalwart, Nari Contractor. This occurred during the ongoing Test match between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Shastri, who was a part of the commentary panel at the venue, seemed to have posted the news on Contractor's passing. Understandably, the news spread like wildfire as tributes flooded in from the cricket fraternity for the 90-year-old great. However, it was later confirmed that the details which were provided were mere rumours, prompting Shastri to delete the post which had gone viral by then. In a fresh post uploaded on X, Shastri apologized for the error from his end and conveyed relief in his tweet.

Check out the viral Ravi Shastri tweet related to Nari Contractor here:

Apologies - the news floating around the demise of Nari Contractor is incorrect. He is fine. God bless 🙏 pic.twitter.com/zGqWjim9SL

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) November 2, 2024

Contractor's career got cut short due to injury

Born in the bustling city of Godhra, Nari Contractor was the epitome of unwavering resilience in the face of adversity. A stellar 92-run knock which came against West Indies in the 1958/59 series saw him step into the public eye. A notable instance of his resoluteness came during the Lord's Test which saw Contractor suffer a broken rib. Despite the major blow, he carried on with unparalleled grit to score a dogged 81-run knock.

Also Read: Never easy being a coach of a team, Gautam Gambhir will learn: Ravi Shastri

In what was considered one of the great tragedies to have struck Indian cricket, Contractor's career was ruthlessly truncated due to a short delivery striking him on the skull. Notably, the incident took place during an Indian tourists' colony game against Barbados, in 1962.

The severity of the incident was such that it left Contractor unconscious for six whole days. Almost a couple of years post the unfortunate event, the tenacious southpaw was back to playing the domestic cricket. However, he could never quite make it to the level he promised henceforth as far as international cricket was concerned.