Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 13 (IANS): Former captain of the Kerala Ranji Trophy team, O.K. Ramdas (74), passed away here on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack.

Ramdas was admitted to the Sree Chithira Institute of Medical Sciences two weeks back after suffering a stroke. He was recovering there when he had a major heart attack on Wednesday that led to his death.

Ramdas, a gritty opening batsman who honned his skills playing for the Kannur Cricket Club, represented Kerala in 35 Ranji matches between 1969 and 1981, and scored 1,647 runs with 11 half-centuries at 24.05.

He also captained the cricket team of State Bank of Travancore from where he retired as the Sports Officer.

In 1979, Ramdas had led Kerala in a Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu. After retirement, he served as a selector in the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA). He was also a BCCI match referee.

Ramdas' former teammates remembered him as a stylish opening batsman who was known as a gentleman cricketer.

P. Balachandran, respected coach and former captain of the Kerala Ranji Trophy team, told IANS, "Ramdas was a stylish opener who tackled the new ball really well. He was our mentor during my debut in 1978 and was always a team man. The then Kerala team had a good opening pair of Ramdas and Suvi Gopalakrishnan, which was a formidable pair against any bowling attack."

Ramdas is survived by his wife Sobha and son Kapil. His mortal remains will be taken to his home district in Kannur, where his last rites will be performed on Thursday.