U-19 team’s trainer Rajesh Sawant found dead

Mumbai: Rajesh Sawant, the physical fitness trainer of India’s Under-19 cricket team, was found dead in his room in a city hotel on Sunday. The team is staying in the city as part of its upcoming series against the England Under-19 team. Sawant, who was a Mumbai resident, was not answering the team’s calls since Saturday night and when the hotel staff along with team members broke into the room, they found him lying on his bed, dead. When rushed to a hospital, the doctors confirmed him dead and prima facie said the cause was a cardiac arrest.

Manor Kumar Sharma, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 1, said the team members forced entry into his room when he did not respond to repeated knocks. “The team was setting out for their practice session and saw that Sawant was nowhere to be seen. So they went to his room and when he did not open the door nor answer calls, they contacted the manager who with the help of security guards forced entry into his room and found him on the bed in his night clothes," he said. He added that he was not responsive and was rushed to the hospital, where they declared him dead before arrival. “According to the doctors, he suffered from a cardiac arrest and passed away somewhere in the wee hours of Sunday," he said.

Another police source revealed that there were no injury marks found on his body and no sign of forced entry into his room. "The body has been sent for post mortem and we are awaiting the results of the same," said an officer. Sawant was a resident of Vikhroli and was staying in Trident Hotel in Nariman Point with the Under -19 cricket team.

Board of Control for Cricket in India joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary condoled Sawant’s death in in a statement.