Anshuman Gaekwad

Anshuman Gaekwad is a former Indian cricketer and a two-time coach of the Indian cricket team. Known for his powers of concentration, he featured for India in 40 Tests and 15 ODIs. He made his Test debut against the West Indies in December 1974. With two 100+ scores and ten fifties, Gaekwad garnered 1985 runs in 70 innings at an average of 30.07 in Tests. He was a gutsy cricketer, who was also known for his extraordinary levels of patience. His highest score of 201 against Pakistan in Jalandhar was a monumental effort that lasted 671 minutes, it was then the slowest double century in first-class cricket.

Gaekwad also had a near-death experience during the pre-helmet era. While playing against the West Indies in Jamaica in 1975/76, Michael Holding was bowling with fire and one of his venomous short balls hit Gaekwad on the ear when he was on 81. The strike was so fierce that Gaekwad had to be rushed to the hospital, where he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for 48 hours. He also had to undergo two surgeries and continues to have hearing issues. His career as a player ended on a positive note as he scored a ton in his last first-class game.

He has also worked as a national selector and went on to become the coach of the Indian cricket team. His first term lasted a little less than two years, from October 1997 to September 1999. He took over the reigns from Madan Lal, with India going through a difficult phase at that time. His stint as the Indian team coach was a mixed bag of sorts. He did a great job with the ODI side, but a ruinous tour of Australia in 1999 plus an unsuccessful World Cup campaign resulted in the termination of his services.

After Kapil Dev quit as the Indian coach in 2000, Gaekwad took over the job once again for a brief stint. He was the Indian coach from August to October before John Wright succeeded him.

By Sidhant Maheshwari