Anshuman Gaekwad: A remarkable story of guts amidst bloodbath

The news of Anshuman Gaekwad’s passing late on the evening of Wednesday, 31 July, was not unexpected but as depressing as they come. There are some characters in cricketing folklore whose impact cannot be measured by the weight of statistics, but rather ought to be done by the character they showed on the pitch and the way they conducted themselves off it.

Anshu bhai to the cricketing fraternity was one such hero, who held his own in the 1970s and early '80s as a fearless opening batter in the company of the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, and went on to serve Indian cricket in numerous capacities. An average of 30.1 from 40 Test matches, not to speak of 15 odd ODIs, says nothing about what he brought on the table — hence it’s better to let his opening partner Gavaskar take over.

“I was privileged to play with three of the bravest cricketers in Indian cricket. Eknath Solkar, Jimmy (Mohinder) Amarnath and Anshuman Gaekwad. We had heard about the bravery and guts of Nari Contractor playing with a broken rib and going on to score 81 at Lord’s. That was inspirational to budding cricketers that when it comes to playing for your country you must take all the blows and keep fighting for your team. That’s exactly what Ekki, Jimmy and Charlie as Anshuman was known, did when they donned the India cap,’’ Gavaskar said in his tribute.

A member of the royalty of Vadodara, a historic town of Gujarat of whom he was one of the earliest cricketing heroes before the likes of Kiran More, the Pathan brothers or Pandya brothers, Gaekwad believed in the virtues of resilience, patience and wearing off the new ball attack to ply his trade. It often did not make for spectacular viewing, as is evident from the fact that his only double century in Test cricket — against Pakistan in Jalandhar in 1983 — lasted all of 671 minutes and was the slowest 200 in first class cricket at that time.

However, it was that epochal innings of 81 against the Caribbean quartet of Michael Holding, Wayne Daniel, Vanburn Holder and Bernard Julien in the infamous 1975-76 Test in Kingston, Jamaica which best defined him. A tour to the West Indies was a different kettle of fish those days and with the spectators baying for blood, then then captain Bishan Singh Bedi wanted to withdraw his troops from the field.

In his Sunny Days, Gavaskar gives a rather graphic description of Gaekwad’s bravery: “On the dot of lunch, Anshuman, who had taken many blows on the body and his hands, was hit just behind the left ear. It was yet another short ball and it went like a guided missile knocking Anshuman’s spectacles off… Anshuman Gaekwad represented the splendid fighting spirit of our team. When he was forced to retire, much against his wish, our will to fight also got knocked out.”

Quite fittingly, Gaekwad’s biography was titled: Guts Amidst Bloodbath – The Anshuman Gaekwad Narrative. A relevant line from the book says: ‘’When Viv Richards and Deryck Murray walked up to check on his well-being, Gaekwad just waved them away. 'I didn’t want their mercy. They didn’t have any',” he writes. 

This was the quintessential Gaekwad, whose upright six feet plus frame and quiet dignity made for an imposing presence during his tenure as the national team coach in the late ‘90s. There were several high points under his coaching like when India defeated Mark Taylor’s Australia 2-1 in a home Test series and soon afterwards, beat them to win a tri-series in Sharjah. Gaekwad was also the coach when Anil Kumble took all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan, led by Wasim Akram, at Delhi in 1999.

A former national selector, he was also a member of the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee, an apex council member of the board, president of the Indian Cricketers’ Association and a commentator and TV expert. The BCCI also honoured him with the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Roger Binny, the BCCI president and one of his peers, said in a statement: “Anshuman Gaekwad's passing is a great loss for Indian cricket. His dedication, resilience, and love for the game were unparalleled. He was not just a cricketer but a mentor and a friend to many. The cricketing community will miss him dearly, and his contributions will always be remembered. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones as they cope with this loss.”

Rest in power, sir…