New Delhi, Nov. 6: Batting great Sachin Tendulkar on Friday expressed his shock at the demise of noted journalist Prabhash Joshi, saying it left a vacuum which would be difficult to fill.

Joshi, 72, complained of chest pain at 11:30 pm while watching Thursday’s thrilling India-Australia one day match and was rushed to a private hospital where doctors declared him dead.

"I’m really shocked by his death," Tendulkar said.

"He was a keen follower of the game and his death has left a void," said the star batsman whose sublime 175 on Thursday night could not avert India’s three-run defeat against Australia.

"Right throughout, his words and opinions have always encouraged me," Tendulkar added.

Board of Control for Cricket in India vice-president Rajiv Shukla also mourned Joshi’s death.

Joshi, who began his career with Nai Duniya, was the founder-editor of leading Hindi daily Jansatta in 1983. After retiring from the newspaper in 1995, he continued as the chief editorial advisor.

Joshi also worked with the Indian Express as the resident editor at Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Delhi.

A prolific sportswriter, he was a regular at cricket matches in the capital and even watched the October 31 India-Australia match at Ferozeshah Kotla from the press box. The veteran journalist is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. — PTI