Former Indian opener Anshuman Gaekwad dies at 71

New Delhi: Former Indian opener Anshuman Gaekwad, who served the game in different capacities after his retirement as a player, died on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 71.

Gaekwad played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India. Out of the 40 Tests, 22 were against the mighty West Indies.

Gaekwad, who was also a former India coach and national selector, was undergoing treatment for blood cancer at the King's College Hospital in London before returning back to the country last month.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gave Rs 1 crore for Gaekwad's treatment and members of the 1983 World Cup-winning team also did their bit to help him.

Gaekwad also played 205 first-class matches in a career spanning 22 years.

He later took over as coach of the Indian team. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to offer his condolences.

"Shri Anshuman Gaekwad Ji will be remembered for his contribution to cricket. He was a gifted player and an outstanding coach. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," Modi tweeted.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah also paid his tribute to the late cricketer.

A gritty opening batter, he was known for his dogged defence with a very high back lift. Between 1974 and 1984, he was involved in the game of musical chair with Chetan Chauhan for the role of second opener to partner Sunil Gavaskar in the Indian team.

A genial personality, he scored a double hundred against Zaheer Abbas' Pakistan in 1983, which was one of the slowest double tons of that time. The match was played at Jalandhar.

A bespectacled opener, Gaekwad's finest hour came while facing a young Michael Holding and Wayne Daniel at Sabina Park in Jamaica in the 1976 series.

Holding's beamer hit him on the ear and as he lay smeared in blood, home team supporters were shouting from the tree top "Kill him Maaan..Kill him Mikey", something Gavaskar termed as Barbarism.

Later he was coach of the Indian team between 1998 and 1999 and Anil Kumble's 10-for at Kotla against Pakistan happened with him in charge of the team.

Young Harbhajan Singh made his Test debut under him and always spoke with reverence about 'Anshu sir' for the manner in which he carried himself.

He also served as national selector, headed the Baroda Cricket Association and just before he fell ill, he was the BCCI Apex Council member.

Cricket legends such as Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Clive Lloyd, ex-India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar, BCCI president Roger Binny, former India players Mohinder Amarnath, Ravi Shastri, Sandeep Patil, Karsan Ghavri, Balwinder Singh Sandhu,  and actor Nana Patekar had all shared encouraging words to cheer up Gaekwad during his battle with cancer.