Cricket mourns star’s sudden death

Cricketers from across the globe - but especially India - are reeling after the sudden death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The 34-year-old, who expertly portrayed Indian cricket legend MS Dhoni in the film MS Dhoni: The Untold Story was found dead in his Mumbai residence over the weekend. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Aussie cricketer Shane Watson, who has had a long career in the Indian Premier League, led the tributes on social media.

"I can't stop thinking about Sushant Singh Rajput. It is just so tragic," Watson tweeted.

"In The Untold Story, at times you forgot whether it was Sushant or MSD. Amazing portrayal and now the world is much poorer with him not here in it."

Dhoni is yet to comment but his manager, Arun Padley, described the 38-year-old, who captained India in Test cricket and limited overs formats for several years, as "very morose".

Dhoni's childhood coach Keshav Banerjee also expressed his grief.

"I am saddened to see the young actor gone so soon," Banerjee told Republic TV. "He had practised cricket with me while preparing for his role in MS Dhoni: The Untold story.

"He practised very well and did justice to the role. I do not know how to express the grief over his loss.

"Working with him made me realise how humble a Bollywood star can be. He was willing to sharpen his skills to portray his role as MS Dhoni perfectly. I was very satisfied with his performance (and) extremely saddened to learn about his demise."

Originally published as Cricket mourns star's sudden death