Anshuman Gaekwad – A Study In Courage

40 test matches, 1985 runs, 2 centuries and an average of 30! Those are the statistics of Anshuman Dattajirao Gaekwad, who passed away on July 31st 2024. But then, when it comes to players like Anshu Gaekwad, cold numbers will never tell the full story. The highlight of the Anshuman Gaekwad story are not the numbers he piled on, but the courage he displayed in the face of extremely hostile pace bowling, in tough circumstances, difficult pitches and in the era before protective gear arrived. 

Let’s start with his test debut itself – it was a difficult time in Indian cricket. After a catastrophic 0-3 defeat in England (1974), Ajit Wadekar was gone from the captaincy, never to play for India again. The selectors landed a surprise by bringing back Mansur Ali Khan ‘Tiger’ Pataudi as captain for the five test home series against West Indies in 1974-75. Pataudi missed the second test of the series prompting the selectors to make S Venkatraghavan the captain – only to drop Venkat for the third test when Pataudi returned. This was the whimsical manner in which Indian cricket was run in those days! 

Not that the West Indies were invincible. They too were in transition – Clive Lloyd was learning the ropes of leading the side. In the team that came to India were two debutants who would go on to become champions – Gordon Greenidge and Vivian Richards. A third player came to India with the experience of a solitary test match – Andy Roberts. Lance Gibbs, a great player for the Windies, was nearing the end of his career. Roy Fredericks and Alvin Kallicharran were close to their prime, adding heft to the batting with Lloyd. Adding to the pace department were Vanburn Holder and Bernard Julien.

India lost the first two tests and went into the third at Eden Gardens, Calcutta 0-2 down, with three tests to go. The pace of Andy Roberts was proving hard to handle and the redoubtable Sunil Gavaskar too was injured, hence unavailable. Hardly had the third test begun that opener Sudhir Naik was out, caught behind off the first ball from Roberts. After that, the wickets continued to fall. With the score at 94, Pataudi deflected a lifting delivery from Roberts on to his chin and then to the stumps. The scorecard reads “MAK Pataudi bowled Roberts – 36”. It makes no mention of the blood on the pitch that the 22-year old debutant Anshuman Gaekwad would have seen when he came into face Roberts. 

Here is what GR Vishwanath, who was batting at the other end, writes about that innings in his autobiography: “It couldn’t have been easy for Anshu, on debut, to walk out to the sight of his captain departing in discomfort, and fresh blood in his line of vision on the pitch….to his credit, Anshu fought it out. He showed no outward sign of nerves and made a pleasant 36 while we added 75 crucial runs. It was to be the start of a partnership that is still going strong…”

Gaekwad perhaps proved lucky for the Indians. With Vishwanath making a superb century in the second innings and the spinners weaving their magic, India won at Calcutta. Incredibly, they went onto win the next test at Madras (Now Chennai) too. While Vishy played arguably his finest ever knock (97 not out, against a raging Roberts) in the first innings, it was Gaekwad who top scored in the crucial second innings with 80 – defying Roberts, who took 12 wickets in the match. The final and deciding test at brand-new Wankhede Stadium for the final test was lost, but Gaekwad enhanced his reputation, making 51 and 42. In the batting aggregates for his debut series, Gaekwad appears third on the Indian list, with only Vishy and Engineer ahead of him, though both played all five tests to the debutant’s three. Surprisingly, Gaekwad did not play in the next test series India took part in – against New Zealand on their soil. 

Gaekwad’s debut series as well as his non selection in NZ, in many ways, defined his career. Of his 40 tests, as many as 22 came against the mighty West Indies – in an era when that team had the world’s most feared pace attack. He averaged 27 against them and his selection was not merely because of the runs he made but that he stood up to the quicks. 

Post the missed series in NZ, India toured the West Indies and predictably, Gaekwad was back, playing three of the four tests. In the third test, India pulled off a historic chase of a 400 plus target and caused Lloyd to discard spin and choose pace as his ultimate weapon. And then it was on to the fourth test at Kingston, Jamaica – a test that acquired a degree of infamy. And it was here that Gaekwad came to play an innings that showcased his grit the most.

Under pressure as a captain, Clive Lloyd was desperate to win the match and series. In this test, he put in place the first West Indies pace quartet. Julien and Michael Holding were joined by the debutant Wayne Daniel, with Vanburn Holder still around. And there seemed to be instructions from Lloyd to go all out, never mind the rules. The umpires were happy to look the other way. And in this scenario, Gaekwad opened the innings with Gavaskar. Here is what Vishwanath says of the innings in his book: “Within a matter of minutes, they (the Indian openers) were subjected to a barrage of bouncers and beamers from Holding and Daniel…to have four to five balls an over directed at your throat and head was definitely not the norm. Protection was basic, we had no helmets….Anshu sported numerous bruises on his body proudly, like a badge of honour, seeking to make light of pain with his inimitable humour.”

Gaekwad put on 136 with Gavaskar, 69 with Mohinder Amarnath, 11 with Vishwanath and was continuing in the same vein with Vengsarkar, when he was struck. This is what Vishy says,“…Anshu was struck on his left ear by Holding and went down in a heap. He was unconscious for a long time and we prayed hard for him. Even today, he says that from time to time, he can’t hear in his left ear. God forbid, had the ball struck him a couple of inches higher, somewhere near his temple…”

This is a comment by Gavaskar in his book, which was also quoted in a biography of Clive Lloyd, “On the dot of lunch (of the second day), Anshuman Gaekwad, who had taken many blows…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…at this the crowd were stamping their legs, clapping and jumping for joy.

Gaekwad made 81 before retiring hurt (unconscious). He had batted through a storm for more than six hours. The test was lost, with five Indian batsmen not being fit in the second innings but Gaekwad’s courage would be remembered. When Anshuman Gaekwad was forced to retire, the will to fight got knocked out of us.”

And finally, here is what the protagonist bowler, Holding, said in his book: “Another guy who I value…is the former India Test batsman Aunshuman Gaekwad. I wouldn’t have blamed Aunshuman (sic) for not wanting to have anything to do with me following the infamous Jamaica Test of 1976. …I hit Aunshuman, who was as gutsy a batsman as there has ever been, with a nasty blow on the ear during that game and it turned out to be quite a serious injury. It punctured his ear drum and he required an operation. But he never held a grudge and we remain in contact today, sending emails and Christmas cards.”

That was Gaekwad all over – sending Christmas greetings to a bowler who sent him to the surgery table, with a potentially life threatening injury. The rest of his career was humdrum – there was a test century against the Windies at home in 1979, a double ton against the visiting Pakistanis in 1983. He was in and out of the side. His final test was against England – almost exactly ten years to the date since he made his debut and at the same ground, Eden Gardens in Calcutta. While he made 18 the only time he batted, the match was notable for two things – Mohammad Azharuddin’s debut with a century and Kapil Dev’s absence – the only time the great all rounder missed a test match in his career. Amidst this excitement and controversy, Gaekwad played his last test, never being selected again. 

Nearly thirteen years later, he returned to the Indian team as coach. Tendulkar was the captain. It was a roller coaster ride and the lasting image one recalls from that time was of an overjoyed Gaekwad rushing out of the pavilion to cheer Anil Kumble in the Delhi test against Pakistan in 1999 when he had accomplished the feat of taking all ten wickets in an innings, to win the match. Next year, the match fixing saga reared its ugly head and Gaekwad was requested by BCCI President AC Muthiah to come back as coach and restore order. This mess wasn’t unlike Kingston 1976, except that it emanated outside the ground. With him at the helm, the team reached the final of the ICC Knockout series in Nairobi. The era of Saurav Ganguly as captain also began in earnest. Gaekwad signed off in style! 

In the end, Gaekwad probably fought his battle with cancer with the same spirit that he faced fierce fast bowlers. And today, wherever he is, he must be looking upon the players with his same inimitable humour.

End note:

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Anshuman Gaekwad was a second generation Indian cricketer, his father Dattajirao Krishnarao Gaekwad having played 11 tests for India in the 1950s and 1960s, with little success. Gaekwad senior had led India to a tour of England in 1959. And at the time of his death, in early 2024, he was the oldest living Indian cricketer at 95.