Renowned hockey statistician and historian Baboolal Goverdhan Joshi died on Tuesday at the age of 66 owing to Covid-19 related complications, Hockey India confirmed.
Joshi, who died in Bhopal, is survived by his wife Krishna and two sons – Shravan and Neeraj.
A game of numbers: How BG Joshi became sole keeper of hockey records in India
The hockey historian worked as an engineer at the Madhya Pradesh Water Resource Department.
A passionate lover of the game, Joshi maintained records of the sport since the early 1970s and also contributed hockey statistics to several national dailies.
Saddened to know about the demise of BG Joshi sir. May his soul rest in peace. https://t.co/h0DCI60bOe
— Rani Rampal (@imranirampal) April 20, 2021
My condolences to the family of Mr. BG Joshi #RIP🙏🏻 https://t.co/jrTX26arl8
— Sjoerd Marijne (@SjoerdMarijne) April 20, 2021
Hockey India president Gyanendro Ningombam said: “Despite his fulltime job as an engineer with the Madhya Pradesh Water Resource Department, he would remain committed to his passion of keeping up with the numbers.
“There is perhaps no player in the history of modern hockey that BG Joshi didn’t have statistics about. He kept records of players debuts, goals, goal assists and so on and also maintained records of global hockey.
“We have lost a true fan of hockey today. We express our deepest condolences to his family members. We share their grief in these sorrowful times.”