While Soumitra Chatterjee’s love for drama and his superior acting prowess dominated headlines in his lifetime, the octogenarian who breathed his last on Sunday, was also an avid cricket fan who never missed an international match at the Eden Gardens till the 1980’s.

Former Bengal captain and national selector Sambaran Banerjee, on the death of Pather Panchali actor said, Chatterjee was a cricket fan who maintained a tab on all the developments of the gentleman’s game.

Banerjee stated, “He was an avid cricket fan. He loved Test cricket more than anything else. He had told me that he never missed a cricket match at Eden Gardens in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. He kept a tab on all the developments on cricket,” adding, Chatterjee had been apprehensive of the shorter format of the game and the IPL.

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Banerjee recalled, “He was an avid cricket fan. He loved Test cricket more than anything else. He had told me that he never missed a cricket match at Eden Gardens in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. He kept a tab on all the developments on cricket.”

Former Team India captain and Board of Control for Cricket in India President Sourav Ganguly also mourned the death of the legendary actor and thespian.

The former Team India opener Ganguly tweeted, “U have done so much ..u can rest in peace.”

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A behemoth of Bengali cinema, Chatterjee was felicitated by the French government, with the Legion of Honour and Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in his lifetime. 

The Apu Trilogy actor collaborated with India’s only Academy Honorary Award winner, Satyajit Ray, and immortalized the role of India’s favourite sleuth Feluda.