Former India hockey player and coach MK Kaushik on Saturday died after battling Covid-19 for the past three weeks, PTI. He was 66.

On Saturday, India lost two revered hockey stars, Ravinder Pal Singh and Kaushik, who were both members of the 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medal-winning side.

Kaushik had tested positive for Covid-19 on April 17 and was admitted to a nursing home in Delhi.

“He was shifted to ventilator this morning but passed away just now,” his son Ehsan told PTI.

Expressing Hockey India’s condolences to Kaushik’s family, federation president Gyanendro Ningombam said, “We are extremely saddened to hear the news of his passing and we extend our deepest condolences to Kaushik’s family and friends. His contributions to Indian hockey is unmatched and he will be remembered in our hearts forever.”

Arjuna Awardee Kaushik had coached both men’s and women’s teams during the 1990s and 2000s. Under his coaching, the Indian men’s hockey team won the gold medal at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games and the Indian women’s hockey team won bronze medal at the Doha Asian Games in 2006. He was also the assistant coach of the Indian men’s hockey team, who won the Asian Games Gold in 2014.

He received the Arjuna Award in 1998, before being honoured with the Dronacharya award in 2002.

Earlier on Saturday, news broke of another member of the 1980 Moscow Olympics-winning side, as Ravinder Pal Singh died aged 60 in Lucknow after battling Covid-19 for nearly two weeks.

Singh was admitted at the Vivekananda Hospital on April 24 after contracting the virus, reported PTI.

According to family sources, Singh had recovered from the virus and was shifted to non-Covid ward on Thursday after testing negative. But his condition suddenly deteriorated on Friday and he was put on a ventilator.

India is battling a devastating second wave of Covid-19 pandemic which is causing 3000 deaths everyday. The country on Saturday recorded 4,01,078 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally of infections in the country to 2,18,92,676 since the pandemic broke out. This is the fourth time after May 1, when the case count rose by more than 4 lakh. The toll climbed by 4,187 deaths to 2,38,270.