Name:

Gaekwad, Anshuman D

Date of Birth:

23 Sep 1952

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Maharashtra

Date Died:

31 Jul 2024

Career:

Test: 1974 - 1984
ODI: 1975 - 1987

Teams:

India (Country)

1984 2nd Test: Robinson guts India, England win away after 2 years (Delhi)

Anshuman Dattajirao Gaekwad was an Indian cricketer and two-time Indian national cricket coach. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler.

Playing Career:

• International: He represented India in 40 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals (ODIs), with his career spanning from 1974 to 1984 (last ODI was in 1987).

• Test Matches: He scored 1,985 runs at an average of 30.07, including 2 centuries and 10 half-centuries. His highest Test score was 201 against Pakistan in 1982–83, an innings where he batted for 671 minutes, showcasing his famous patient and defensive style, which earned him the nickname "The Great Wall."

• ODIs: He scored 269 runs at an average of 20.69, with 1 half-century (Highest score 78^*).

• First-Class Cricket: He had a stellar domestic career, featuring in over 200 first-class games and accumulating over 12,000 runs, including 34 centuries and 47 fifties.

• He was known for his courage and defensive technique, especially against the fearsome fast bowlers of his era.

Post-Playing Career:

• Coaching: He served as the Head Coach of the Indian men's team in two separate stints: 1997 to 1999 and again briefly in 2000. Notable successes during his tenure included India's victory in a tri-nation tournament in Sharjah in 1998 and Anil Kumble's historic 10-wicket haul against Pakistan in 1999. He also briefly coached the Kenyan cricket team.

• Other Roles: He was also a national selector, an Apex Council Member of the BCCI, a member of the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), and the President of the Indian Cricketers' Association.

He was honored with the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the BCCI in 2018.

Gaekwad passed away on July 31, 2024, at the age of 71 in Vadodara, India. His cause of death was leukemia (a type of blood cancer), following a long battle with the illness.