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Anshuman Gaekwad

Overview

Anshuman Dattajirao Gaekwad (1952–2024) was an Indian cricketer who represented India in Test and One Day International cricket as a right-handed opening batsman. After his playing career, he served Indian cricket in administrative and coaching capacities, including two stints as the head coach of the Indian national team in the 1990s. He was associated for much of his life with cricket in Baroda (Vadodara), Gujarat.

Key Facts

Full name Anshuman Dattajirao Gaekwad
Born 1952
Died 2024
Nationality Indian
Role Opening batsman (right-handed)
Domestic team Baroda
National team India
Formats Test, One Day International
Later roles Coach of the India national cricket team; selector

Background

Gaekwad came from a cricketing family in Baroda. His father, Datta Gaekwad, captained India in Test cricket in the late 1950s, making the Gaekwads one of the few father–son pairs to have represented India at Test level. Anshuman developed his cricket through Baroda's domestic structure and progressed to the national side in the mid-1970s.

Playing career

Gaekwad made his Test debut for India in the 1970s and went on to play Test matches and One Day Internationals across roughly a decade and a half. As an opener, he was known for his patience, concentration and willingness to occupy the crease against fast bowling, qualities that made him a valued partner at the top of the order in an era when Indian openers regularly faced hostile pace attacks in the West Indies, England and Australia.

One of his most discussed innings was a long, defensive double century against Pakistan in Jalandhar in 1983, an example of his preference for application over flamboyance. He also figured in major tours of the late 1970s, including India's tour of the West Indies in 1976, during which he batted in challenging conditions against a strong fast-bowling attack.

At domestic level, he played first-class cricket for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and other Indian domestic competitions over a long career, accumulating a substantial body of runs and contributing to the team's campaigns over many seasons.

Coaching and administration

After retiring from playing, Gaekwad moved into coaching and administrative roles in Indian cricket. He served as head coach of the Indian men's national team during the latter half of the 1990s, a period that included Test and One Day International series at home and abroad. He later worked as a national selector and was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in advisory capacities, as well as with the Baroda Cricket Association at the state level.

Later life and death

Gaekwad remained an active commentator on Indian cricket and a familiar figure in cricket administration in Gujarat. He died in 2024.

Significance

Gaekwad's career is regarded as representative of a generation of Indian openers who built their reputations on technique and temperament rather than stroke-making. His family's two-generation Test history, his contribution to Baroda cricket and his subsequent role in shaping the Indian team as coach and selector give him a durable place in the institutional history of Indian cricket.

References