Guwahati, Oct. 27: India Club has named its tennis academy after Pulin Das, club authorities said at a press meet here today.

The bespectacled Pulin Das, in his shorts and T-shirt along with a polo cap, was a regular at the Indian Club clay courts from 3pm onwards everyday till the age of 96.

“We have named our tennis academy Pulin Das India Club Tennis Academy,” said Prasanta Das, president of the club.

The pioneer of sports organising and sports journalism in the state breathed his last on July 16 at the age of 96, bringing an end to a life dedicated entirely to sports. He was accorded state honours during his cremation. However, this is the first time anyone has honoured him by naming anything after him.

Das was one of the members of the first Assam Ranji Trophy team in 1949 while he founded the Assam Cricket Association as the secretary, along with the then premier of Assam, Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, in 1947.

Apart from cricket, Das also played table tennis, hockey and tennis. He later became one of the pioneers in sports organising and was part of the founder bodies of most of the sports organisations in the state. He was also one of the founders of the state flagship Lokapriya Bordoloi Trophy football tournament in 1952.

Das was the first sports journalist in Assam. He was also a sports reviewer for All India Radio and was one of its first commentators in Assamese.

Basketball: St Francis De Sales, Guwahati beat Kaziranga English Academy, Guwahati 53-48 to win the boys’ title in the East zone CBSE Cluster I basketballmeet that concluded at Miles Bronson Residential School here on Monday.