New Delhi. Indian cricketer and former coach of Team India Anshuman Gaikwad has passed away. 71 year old Gaikwad was suffering from blood cancer for a long time. Seeing the condition of Anshuman Gaikwad, world champion captain Kapil Dev came forward to help. He also appealed to others for help. After this, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced to give Rs 1 crore for the treatment of Anshuman Gaikwad. He was undergoing treatment in a hospital in England.
Anshuman Gaikwad made his debut for India in 1974. He played 40 Test and 15 ODI matches for India. The pairing of Gaikwad and Gavaskar (Sunil) was a hit in the 1970s. Gaikwad scored 1985 runs in his Test career. He played an excellent inning of 201 runs against Pakistan in 1983, which was also his highest score. Anshuman Gaikwad was also a part of Team India in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups.
Made ODI debut in World Cup
Anshuman Gaikwad made his debut in ODI cricket in the 1975 World Cup. The match between India and England, which is remembered for Sunil Gavaskar’s slow batting, was Anshuman’s debut match. Anshuman had scored 22 runs on 46 balls in that match. Sunil Gavaskar remained unbeaten in that match after scoring 36 runs in 174 balls.
‘The Great Wall’ of the 1970s
Today, cricket lovers may know Rahul Dravid as The Wall, but in the 1970s, Anshuman was called The Great Wall. He was adept at blunting the opposition bowling attack with his defensive batting.
Been coach of Team India for two years
Anshuman Gaikwad was also the coach of the Indian cricket team for about two years. The Indian team defeated Australia in the triangular series in Sharjah in 1998 when he was the coach. Anshuman was also the coach of Team India, which was the runner-up in the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy. Sourav Ganguly was the captain of this team.