It was a 671-minute marathon and one of the slowest double centuries in Test cricket, but as Aunshuman Gaekwad built his innings and made the bowlers toil at the Burlton Park in Jalandhar, Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas couldn’t help but admire the Indian opening batter’s ‘determination and sound technique’. The former Pakistan captain and one of Gaekwad’s old friends, Abbas …
Countering the fiercest pace bowlers in their prime, Aunshuman Gaekwad was always a picture of steely calm. Later as a coach, the former India opener was all grace, empathy and laughter with the last-mentioned attribute in full evidence when Anil Kumble got his ‘perfect ten’ against Pakistan at Delhi in 1999. However in his battle against cancer, Gaekwad, Baroda’s mainstay …
Nayan Mongia still remembers that evening in early 1991 when Dattajirao Gaekwad called him and asked why he had not turned up for Baroda’s practice sessions for the past five days. Like most of Gaekwad’s wards, Mongia, too, found it hard to come to terms with the fact that ‘sir’ would no longer be available for a chat on cricket. …
Anshuman Gaekwad scored the-then slowest double-century in Test cricket on this day in 1983 against Pakistan. Gaekwad took 652 minutes and 426 deliveries to reach the 200-run mark; the slowest in first-class cricket at the time as well. Anshuman Gaekwad held one end, however, and forged partnerships with Sandeep Patil, Ravi Shastri and Roger Binny to stabilise the Indian innings. …
