Former Indian table tennis star Virendra "Monty" Merchant, 64, died in Washington on Wednesday.

Merchant, who is is survived by his American wife and mother, was cremated on Thursday.

Merchant was the first in India to turn pro in the 1970s. When he was suspended by the Table Tennis Federation of India for violating the amateur code, he migrated to the US.

As a pro his most significant victory was over the 1969 world champion Shigeo Ito of Japan [Images] to win the world pro title.

Merchant, however, missed becoming national champion twice, beaten in the final on both occasions by Farrokh Khodaiji. He played along with former national champions Gautam Diwan, Mir Khasim Ali and Niraj Bajaj.