Former Indian cricketer, coach Anshuman Gaekwad dies at age of 71

New Delhi(Team Newsbuddy): Former India cricketer and coach Anshuman Gaekwad died on Wednesday night at the age of 71. He was suffering from blood cancer. Gaekwad played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India from 1975 to 1987. He also played 206 first-class matches for Baroda.

Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Snehal Parikh told IANS that Gaekwad died around 10 pm on Wednesday. He also went to King’s College Hospital in London for treatment of blood cancer, but returned to his hometown Baroda in June where he was undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

As a batsman, Gaekwad scored 1,985 runs in international Test matches. His highest score was 201 against Pakistan. He also scored 269 runs in the 50-over format. Gaikwad opened the innings in Tests with legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar in many matches. Later he was also a selector of the Indian team. He was the head coach of India from October 1997 to September 1999. During his tenure, leg-spinner Anil Kumble took all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999.

Gaikwad was awarded the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2017-18. He also served as a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) along with Kapil Dev and Shantha Rangaswamy. Gaikwad was the president of the Indian Cricketers Association till his demise. In February this year, his father Datta Gaikwad, who played 11 Tests for India, died in Baroda.