Tapan Jyoti Banerjee, a popular figure in the city’s cricket fraternity, passed away on Monday morning. He was 73.
Teejay, as the nameplate at his Vidyasagar Niketan apartment styles his name, had suffered a massive cerebral attack on April 19 and had been in coma since then. He is survived by wife Mita and daughters Soma and Joyoti.

Banerjee was a right-hand batsman and medium pacer and captained both Kalighat Sporting Club and Mohun Bagan. He also made it to the Bengal team in 1966, playing 18 matches and scoring 217 runs and taking 47 wickets till the 1982-83 season.

He later became the chairman of junior selection sub-committee from 1989 to 1992. He also got the Best Match Observer award from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) for the 2015-16 season.

But it is for coaching that he is best remembered. He coached the Bengal Under-22 men and the senior women teams. “Teejay sir coached us from 2009 to 2011,” recalls Jhulan Goswami, the leading wicket-taker in women’s cricket. “He was a strict disciplinarian. Whoever was late by even five minutes for practice would be turned away. He had a a great sweet tooth and had to have a sweet dish after dinner.”

The six ft one inch tall Banerjee was also known for his good looks. “I used to call him ‘Handsome Boy’. He used to say I was the only one who could take such liberties with him,” Jhulan recalls.

Rajat Subhra Chatterjee of CD Block recounts his efforts to develop cricket in Salt Lake. “When we formed the Pankaj Roy Cricket Coaching Centre in AD Block in the early 80s, Teejay was our coach. We also developed BF Park as a cricket ground and formed a Salt Lake XI to play matches there.”

Banerjee worked for the State Bank of India. “A favourite memory from his playing days was his fiery spell against G.R.Viswanath in an intra-SBI match,” Chatterjee  said.

His body was taken to CAB, Mohun Bagan and Kalighat Sporting before cremation at Nimtala. The club flags stayed at half mast on Monday.