A medical student died on Friday after being struck near one of his ears by a cricket ball during a practice session at a college play ground in Odisha's Ganjam district, police said.

The incident took place at MKCG Medical College play ground, when he was practising cricket with his friends in the morning, they said. The deceased has been identified as Biswabhusan Sahu, a second year MBBS student of Sahid Laxmana Nayak (SLN) Medical College in Koraput district and visited his home at Lanjipalli area in the city after completing one year of his study, Baidyanathpur police station inspector-in-charge SP Das said.

Sahu was batting when the cricket ball hit near one of his ears, police officer said. Though he was wearing a helmet, Sahu fell unconscious after being hit by the ball and his friends immediately rushed him to the hospital where he was declared brought dead, police said. Police registered a case of unnatural death and started investigation, Das said.