Rajkot, May 16 (IANS): Former Saurashtra pacer and match referee Rajendrasinh Jadeja passed away on Sunday due to Covid-19. He was 66.

The Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) said that Jadeja died early Sunday morning.

"Everyone at Saurashtra Cricket Association are deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Rajendrasinh Jadeja, one of the most remarkable yesteryear cricketers of Saurashtra. He left for heavenly abode today early morning after fighting a hard battle against Covid-19," it said in a statement.

Jadeja played 50 first class matches and took 134 wickets. He also played in 11 List A games and took 14 wickets and also scored 1,536 runs in first class cricket, with 104 runs in List A.

He served as the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) official referee in 53 first-class matches, 18 List A games and 34 T20s.

"Rajendrasinh Jadeja was the man with quality, style, ethics and great cricketing capabilities. His dedication and contribution to Cricket shall be remembered forever," said BCCI and SCA secretary Niranjan Shah.