The BCCI announced that it will provide £100,000 to former India cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad, who has been battling cancer for the last one year. Gaekwad had written to the cricket board a few months ago seeking financial help.
The BCCI assured all possible assistance to the Gaekwad family residing in Vadodara. Several former cricketers, including 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev and Sandip Patil, urged the BCCI to help Gaekwad, who also coached the Indian cricket team. Gaekwad's son, Shatrunjay, said that they wrote to the BCCI seeking help as a significant amount of money had been spent on his treatment in London.
The 71-year-old former cricketer is currently undergoing treatment in Vadodara. "It's a good gesture from the BCCI to have extended financial support as Gaekwad has made an immense contribution to Indian cricket. I met him a day ago and spent some time. His condition is not stable, but he has always been a fighter, and I hope he recovers soon," said Satyajit Gaekwad, BCA’s press and publicity committee chairman.
Gaekwad wasn't keeping well for over a year and was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a type of blood cancer, earlier this year. Soon after the diagnosis, his treatment began, and the doctors suggested that he be treated in the UK. He underwent chemotherapy there. The son of former Indian cricket team captain D.K. Gaekwad, he began his international cricketing career in a test match in 1974 against the West Indies. Gaekwad went on to play 40 Test matches, in which he scored 1,985 runs. He played 15 One-Day Internationals and was also part of the Baroda Ranji team.
