OTD| Former India opener Anshuman Gaekwad was born in 1952

Former India cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad was born on 23 September 1952. Known for his defensive game, the opening batter was a national selector and two-time Indian national cricket coach. He was the coach of the Indian team that finished runners-up in the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy. 

Gaekwad was born into a cricketing family in Maharashtra, Bombay (now Mumbai). is father, Datta Gaekwad, was a Test cricketer for India. Notably, Anshuman’s father held the title of the oldest living Indian Test cricketer before his death in February 2024.  

The right-hander made his international debut in the third Test of the 1974 West Indies tour of India in Kolkata. Starting out in the middle order, Gaekwad scored 36 runs in his opening game. He was then moved up the order, where he opened the innings with Sunil Gavaskar.  

In a career spanning over a decade, he played 40 Test matches and 15 ODIs, scoring 1985 and 269 runs, respectively. He has two centuries, one double hundred and 10 half-centuries in the Test format. Gaekwad was also a part-time off-spinner, an additional skill he utilized to take two Test wickets and one ODI wicket. 

Before Rahul Dravid, the tag of “The Great Wall” was held by Gaekwad. He was known for his defensive play, particularly against the fast bowlers. He had extraordinary patience and it was very evident when he registered his highest score of 201 runs against Pakistan at Jalandhar. He batted for 671 minutes, the then-slowest double-century in first-class cricket. 

He brought down the curtains on his international career after playing the third Test in England’s tour of India in Kolkata in 1984. However, he continued to play in the domestic circuit and ended his professional career on a high note by scoring a double century for West Zone against North Zone in 1987. Notably, in 2018, Gaekwad was honored with the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, Indian cricket’s highest honor. 

Read More:- Anshuman Gaekwad’s top 3 performances in Test cricket

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