Former India cricketer and coach Anshuman Gaekwad dies at 71

Former Indian cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad died at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with blood cancer. In a career that spanned 12 years, Gaekwad played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs where he scored 2254 runs with 2 centuries and a top score of 201 against Pakistan in Jalandhar in 1983.Snehal Parikh, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Baroda Cricket Association (BCA), told IANS that Gaekwad passed away at around 10 pm. Gaekwad travelled to King’s College Hospital in London for his blood cancer treatment and returned to his hometown Baroda in June to continue his treatment at a local hospital.Gaekwad was honoured with CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2017-18 and also served as a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) alongside Kapil Dev and Shantha Rangaswamy.
Gaekwad was President of the Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) till his demise and even represented the body in the BCCI Apex Council from 2019-2022. Earlier this year in February, his father Datta Gaekwad, who played 11 Tests for India, passed away in Baroda.Gaekwad also served as the head coach of the Indian team in two stints, between 1997 and 1999 and in 2000. Under his coaching, India also finished as the runners-up in the 2000 Champions Trophy. When he was the coach, Anil Kumble set the record for becoming the first Indian bowler to pick up 10 wickets in a Test innings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Earlier, in a compassionate gesture, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had pledged Rs 1 crore to aid former Indian cricketer Gaekwad. Shah directly contacted Gaekwad’s family to extend heartfelt support during this challenging period.