KOLKATA: Former Bengal skipper Prakash Chandra Poddar, commonly known as PC Poddar On the Kolkata Maidan, passed away recently in the city at the age of 82. A former first-class cricketer Poddar, who played 74 matches between 1960 and 1977, scoring 3836 runs with 11 centuries, however, is best remembered for giving Indian cricket its one of the most precious gifts in Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
After retiring from the game, Poddar became part of BCCI’s Talent Resource Development Scheme (TRDS), a project to unearth hidden talents from different parts of the country. It was in 2003 that Poddar first saw a young, long-haired Dhoni during a U-19 match of Bihar in Jamshedpur. The former India skipper scored 35 runs but even in that age, Poddar observed he had raw power and felt if groomed properly, he could become a good one-day cricketer.
