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Cricket icons Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah attended a prayer meet, organised in the memory of former cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad on Thursday.
Gaekwad passed away on August 1 after battling for a long time with blood cancer. He was in London until last month and passed away in Baroda at the age of 71. Gaekwad also served as the coach of India twice after first being appointed in October 1997. His second stint began in 2000. It was under his reign that India's iconic spinner, Anil Kumble, claimed all ten wickets in an innings against Pakistan in 1999. Former India captain Gavaskar said that he was hopeful that Gaekwad would recover from his illness. "He was my friend as well as (batting) opening partner. A day before any match, we used to sit and discuss how to tackle fast bowlers. That's how we became friends from being partners. My connection with him will always remain intact despite his demise. I knew he was not well. But, I was hopeful he would recover," Gavaskar told reporters after the prayer meet. BCCI gave Rs 1 crore, and the 1983 World Cup-winning team also helped in the treatment of Gaekwad. "The board stands by Gaekwad's family in this hour of crisis and will do whatever is essential for his quick recovery. The Indian Cricket Board will continue to monitor Gaekwad's progress and is confident that he will come out of this phase strongly," BCCI previously said in the statement. Gaekwad represented India in 40 Tests and 15 ODIs from 1975 to 1987. Gaekwad made his Test debut against the West Indies in December 1974. He scored 1,985 runs in Tests, with his highest score of 201 coming against arch-rival Pakistan. In a career that spanned over 22 years, Gaekwad played 205 first-class matches. (ANI)
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