The Indian team is wearing black bands in their first ODI. Let’s delve into the details and learn more about Anshuman Gaekwad, the former Indian cricketer and coach.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, often referred to as “RoKo,” are finally back together in ODI cricket. The pair is playing for India in an ODI match after the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Despite winning the three-match T20 series, the Indian team is in mourning.
Team India is wearing black bands on their hands to pay tribute to former Indian cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad. Gaekwad, who also served as India’s head coach twice in his career, passed away on 31 July after a long battle with blood cancer.
The former Indian cricketer and coach breathed his last at 71 at his residence in Vadodara, Gujarat. This is why Rohit Sharma and the company are wearing black bands on their hands to pay tribute to the legend.
Before his demise, Indian cricketers also provided financial support for Gaekwad’s treatment in London. However, time has once again proven its dominance over money and resources.
All You Need to Know About Anshuman Gaekwad
Mr. Anshuman Gaekwad holds three distinct identities in the world of cricket. Firstly, he was a former Indian cricketer; secondly, he served as the head coach for the Indian cricket team. Additionally, he was the son of the legendary cricketer Datta Gaekwad.
Anshuman played 40 Test matches and 15 ODIs for the Indian national cricket team. He was known for his defensive approach against pacers and was a regular right-handed opening batsman for India during his time. Even before the great Rahul Dravid, Gaekwad earned the nickname “The Great Wall.”
He made his Test debut against the West Indies in Kolkata on 27 December 1974 and played his last Test match against England, also in Kolkata, in 1974. Anshuman batted for 671 minutes to score his Test-best 201 against Pakistan in Jalandhar during the 1982-83 series, which was then the slowest double-century in first-class cricket.
In Test cricket, Anshuman Gaekwad played 40 matches and batted in 70 innings, scoring a total of 1985 runs with an average of 30.07. His highest score in Test cricket was 201. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he appeared in 15 matches and batted in 14 innings, accumulating 269 runs with an average of 20.69. His highest score in ODIs was 78*.
India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI
When this article was written, India was at 175 runs with five wickets down. Trailing by 231 runs, they needed 51 runs from 76 balls to secure the win. Axar Patel and KL Rahul were steadily and quickly moving towards the target.
Rohit Sharma made the highest contribution in the innings so far, with 58 runs. Meanwhile, Axar and Rahul scored 25 runs each.
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