Former Cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad Passes Away At 71
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Mumbai
- Aug 01, 2024
- 341
Former Indian cricketer and Team India head coach Anshuman Gaekwad passed away late Wednesday night at the age of 71.
He was suffering from blood cancer for a long time. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also provided Rs 1 crore for Gaekwad's treatment.
Apart from this, members of the 1983 World Cup winning team also helped Gaikwad. He also got treatment for blood cancer at King's College Hospital in London in June 2024. After this he returned to India. After his death on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said - Gaikwad was a gifted player.
PM Modi shared a post on Twitter regarding Gaikwad's death. Expressing grief, he said- Anshuman Gaikwad will be remembered for his contribution to cricket. He was a gifted player and a great coach. His demise is very sad. Condolences to his family and fans.
At the same time, BCCI secretary Jay Shah also expressed condolences by posting on X. He wrote- My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Anshuman Gaikwad. This is a sad incident for the entire cricket world. May God give peace to his soul.
Anshuman Gaekwad was the opening partner of legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. He was called Sunil Gavaskar's 'right hand'. Gaekwad was a batsman with defensive technique. He was also called 'The Great Wall'.
Gaekwad batted for 671 minutes to score 201 runs against Pakistan in the Jalandhar Test match in 1983-84. This was the slowest double century in first class cricket at that time.
In 1976, the Indian team toured the West Indies. In the fourth Test match of this series, a ball from Michael Holding hit Gaikwad's ear. He had to go to the hospital.
In June 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) honoured Gaikwad with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Anshuman Gaikwad's father Datta Gaikwad has also been a cricketer. He has played 11 test matches. He was also the captain of the team in 1959.
Anshuman has played a total of 40 Test matches and 15 ODIs for Team India in his career. He made his Test debut against West Indies in Kolkata on 27 December 1974. He played his last Test match against England in Kolkata in 1984. Gaikwad scored 1985 runs in his Test career at an average of 30.07. This includes 2 centuries and 10 half-centuries. His best score was 201 runs, which he made against Pakistan.
Gaikwad scored 269 runs in 15 ODIs at an average of 20.69. Apart from this, Anshuman scored 12,136 runs in 206 first class matches at an average of 41.56. He scored 34 centuries and 47 half-centuries in first class. During this, his best score was 225 runs. Apart from this, Gaikwad also played 55 List-A matches, in which he scored a total of 1601 runs at an average of 32.67.
Gaikwad's cricket career includes 205 first class matches in 22 years. Gaikwad was also the head coach of the Indian team from 1997-99. Under his coaching, the team was runner-up in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2000. Under his coaching, Anil Kumble took all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan in the 1999 Feroz Shah Kotla Test match