Legendary India captain Kapil Dev poured his heart out in a message for his friend and former teammate Anshuman Gaekwad, who is currently battling cancer. Gaekwad is currently undergoing treatment in London. Kapil has been a strong pillar of support for his former teammates in tough times. The 1983 World Cup-winning captain raised funds for Gaekwad's treatment and urged the BCCI to provide financial assistance for the former cricketer. The board released INR 1 crore aid for the ailing cricketer.
Earlier this month, former India cricketer Sandip Patil revealed that Gaekwad is battling blood cancer in his column for The Mid-Day. The 71-year-old has been in London for over a year now, and he informed Patil about his financial struggle. The former India all-rounder and Dilip Vengsarkar spoke to BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar, who committed himself to looking into their requests.
The BCCI came forward to extend its financial support to Gaekwad. Board secretary Jay Shah also spoke to Gaekwad's family to assess the situation and extend support.
Gaekwad, whose father, D K Gaekwad, also led the Indian cricket team in the past, is undergoing treatment for blood cancer at the King's College Hospital in London.
Meanwhile, Kapil recently shared a message for Gaekwad in which he talked about the memorable moments he and Gaekwad shared on the cricket field as they both played under each other's captaincy during their illustrious careers.
"Hi Anshu, I know you are going through a rough time, but it doesn't matter, we have all gone through rough times in life. I remember all the good days. The first time? When I played under you, you were my captain. And I remember when I was captain you got two hundred runs in Jalandhar against Pakistan, so good memories. Difficult times come and go, but I know that you are a fighter. Come on, cheer up and try to live a life, whatever God has given you and I wish you get better and better and be happy," Kapil Dev said in a video posted by journalist Vijay Lokapally.
{{/usCountry}}"Hi Anshu, I know you are going through a rough time, but it doesn't matter, we have all gone through rough times in life. I remember all the good days. The first time? When I played under you, you were my captain. And I remember when I was captain you got two hundred runs in Jalandhar against Pakistan, so good memories. Difficult times come and go, but I know that you are a fighter. Come on, cheer up and try to live a life, whatever God has given you and I wish you get better and better and be happy," Kapil Dev said in a video posted by journalist Vijay Lokapally.
{{/usCountry}}71-year-old Gaekwad played 40 Test matches for India in which he scored 1985 runs at an average of 30.07. Meanwhile, he managed to score 269 runs in the 15 ODIs he played.
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Dev wishes to have a coffee or a drink with Gaekwad when he recovers fully from his battle with cancer.
"We all have to go one day, but the best part about human beings is fighting it out the way you fight it out on the cricket field. Whatever is going to happen, will happen. I hope we meet soon. We will all celebrate together. We had a good time. You just look after yourself. It doesn't matter whatever happened, it happened for good, and I think you are a wonderful person. We had great stories to talk about. We have a lot to talk about, but firstly you need to get well soon. We will have coffee together and if nothing, then we can have a little drink together as well. Look after yourself. Love you from the entire cricket community. We all feel proud of you to remember that. Don't let us down? Look after yourself? Love you Anshu. Take care," he added.