A former Indian test cricketer has died of severe brain injuries after being hit in the head by the ball.

Raman Lamba, 38, died on Monday, three days after he was hit by a ball in a cricket tournament in Bangladesh. He had been in a coma since the accident on Friday.

Lamba, a former opener who played four Test matches and 29 one-day matches, was fielding for Abahani Krira in Friday's premier division cricket match against Chakra and Mohammadan Sporting Club.

He was fielding at short leg without a helmet when the accident happened.

Doctors battled in vain to save the batsman's life as his Irish wife, Kim, flew from India to be at his bedside.

Cricketing colleagues, shocked by Lamba's death, paid tribute to his skill as a player.

Indian star Sachin Tendulkar, who made his 1989 test debut when Lamba was in the national team, said: "It's difficult to put my grief in to words. I can't imagine a player died after being hit by the ball. It is truly tragic."

Australia's vice-captain Steve Waugh, who played against Lamba during a limited overs series in India in 1986, said: "He wanted to hit everything out of the ground. It's quite unbelievable he is no more."

Lamba made a century in his one-day international debut against Australia and played his last Test in 1989.

He continued making runs for Delhi in the national championships while also playing in Bangladesh.
 

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