Veteran cricket journalist and writer on film music Raju Bharatan died following a prolonged illness here on Friday, sources confirmed.

He was 86 and is survived by his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. Bharatan worked with "The Illustrated Weekly of India" for 42 years. He also directed "The Victory Story" (1974), the first full-length cricket documentary for Films Division. The author of six books, Bharatan first penned "Rivals in the Sun: A survey of the 1952 tour of England" (1952), followed by "Indian Cricket - The Vital Phase" (1977).