Aunshuman Gaekwad, former India batter and coach, dies at 71

Aunshuman Gaekwad, the former India batter and national head coach, has died aged 71, following a long battle with blood cancer. Gaekwad, who was in London till last month, died in Baroda after a brief time in the ICU due to various health complications.

Gaekwad played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India between 1975 and 1987, before becoming a selector, and later, the coach of the national team.

As a batter, Gaekwad scored 1985 runs from 70 Test innings, with a highest score of 201 against Pakistan in 1982-83, where he patiently batted for 671 minutes - then the slowest ever double-century in first-class cricket.

He also famously made 81 in Jamaica against a West Indies side boasting the likes of Michael Holding in its attack - a feat rendered doubly impressive by the fact that it came in an era when there were neither helmets nor restrictions on bouncers. Gaekwad had to have an operation after he was stung on the ear by a Holding bouncer that punctured his eardrum.

India captain Rohit Sharma said he was "absolutely devastated" to hear the news. "I was lucky to have a few conversations with him during the BCCI awards, and on a personal note as well," Rohit said in Colombo, on the eve of the first ODI against Sri Lanka. "When I was playing Ranji Trophy, he was there and I had a chance to speak to him when he had a few things to talk about my game as well, which was overwhelming for me because he was such a great cricketer for us. It's always nice when you learn from your seniors, understand how cricket was played back in the day, how tough it was and then to pass on his experiences on cricket and what his visions are about cricket. For me, to understand that was a great learning at that point. Condolences to his family, it's not a good time when you lose your loved ones, it's always tough. I was lucky that I had a few chances to meet him and talk to him on a personal level."

Gaekwad had two separate stints as India coach between 1997 and 2000. He first took over in the Sachin Tendulkar era where he oversaw a period of transition, and later came back in the middle of the match-fixing saga, after Kapil Dev's resignation for a brief time while a permanent appointee was being finalised.

Among India's high points during his tenure were the Independence Cup triumph, a 2-1 home series win against Australia, Anil Kumble's 10-wicket haul against Pakistan to level the Test series at home, and a drawn ODI series in New Zealand. He came back at the request of the then BCCI president AC Muthiah, to take them to the final of the ICC Knockout Trophy in 2000, where they lost to New Zealand in the final.

Roger Binny, the BCCI president, said in tribute: "Anshuman Gaekwad's passing is a great loss for Indian cricket. His dedication, resilience, and love for the game were unparalleled. He was not just a cricketer but a mentor and a friend to many. The cricketing community will miss him dearly, and his contributions will always be remembered."

Earlier this month, the BCCI had released INR 1 crore towards Gaekwad's treatment, after Kapil and Sandeep Patil urged the board to help him.