Gaekwad, 'The Great Wall' of Indian cricket, has passed away
Former Indian batsman, coach and selector Anshuman Gaikwad has died at the age of 71. He was suffering from blood cancer for a long time
Gaekwad, 'The Great Wall' of Indian cricket, has passed away
Former Indian batsman, coach and selector Anshuman Gaikwad has died at the age of 71. Gaikwad, who played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India, was suffering from blood cancer for a long time. He returned home after undergoing treatment in London until last June. After that he was admitted to Baroda hospital due to various physical complications. As his condition worsened, he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital. He died there yesterday.
Gaikwad played in the Indian national team from 1975 to 1987. After that, he also took the responsibility of national team selector and later coach. He scored 1985 runs in 70 Test innings.
He played an innings of 201 runs against Pakistan in Jalandhar in 1983. It is also his highest innings in Tests and the slowest double century in first-class cricket. Gaikwad batted a total of 671 minutes on the way to play this 436-ball innings. Some even called him 'The Great Wall' for his defensive mentality against the Pacers.
His unbeaten innings of 81 against the West Indies in Jamaica in 1976 is also remembered by many. He played the innings without a helmet against pacers like Michael Holding, Wayne Daniel, Roy Fredericks. There was no limit to giving a bouncer then. However, he had to leave the field as a retired heart due to the bounce of the holding. His eardrum was ruptured by the bouncer. Go to the operating table. Gaikwad also scored a century in the last first-class match of his career.
Gaikwad coached India for two terms between 1997 and 2000. Under his coaching, India played the final of the 2000 Champions Trophy. The Board of Cricket in India (BCCI) paid Rs 1 crore for Gaikwad's treatment earlier this month. His father Dutta Gaikwad also played Tests for India.
