At Matunga's Major Dhadkar Maidan, tragedy struck during a cricket match on Monday when a player was hit on the head while fielding and died instantly. The 52-year-old dead, Jayesh Savla, participated in the Kutchi Community's veteran's cricket competition, which was held at Dadar Union Sporting Club. At the nearby Dadar Parsee Colony pitch, where Savla was fielding, there was another game in progress.
The batter close to Savla hit a hard pull shot in his direction before he had a chance to respond. Instinctively he turned and the ball hit the back of his skull. After being sent to Sion Hospital right away, Bhayandar merchant Savla was pronounced dead when he arrived. The afternoon of Tuesday was dedicated to his funeral. Rohit Gangar, who participates in the eight-team Vikas Legend Kutchi Cricket Cup (for 50+) competition, described the situation as follows: "We had two matches on Monday afternoon, one at Dadar Union and the second at Dadar Parsee Colony pitch." Savla was positioned at point when the batter in the DPC game struck a pull shot when he was representing Gala Rocks against Master Blaster. The exact spot on his head where Australia's Phil Hughes was struck and ultimately died was struck by the ball.
Cricket circles in the city have been rattled by the occurrence. Tuesday was a somber day at the Matunga maidan. The net sessions for the morning were canceled. The topic of discussion at the ground was how to keep cricket players safe while playing. Head injuries have resulted in fatalities during cricket matches when players have been struck by bouncers or fielded in close quarters. The fact that games are held on fields next to one another in Mumbai's maidans poses a concern. The several grounds of Matunga and Cross Maidan are closely spaced and crowded with each other.
Previous Mumbai Regular visitor to the Matunga ground, Pradeep Kasliwal, a Ranji player, believes new grounds should be developed outside of the city. "Now is the perfect time to begin relocating from the city core. On Mumbai's outskirts, we must develop additional land.
