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Cricket PlayersSunil Gavaskar livid with BCCI, Team India for taking 3 days to wear black armbands in memory of Dattajirao Gaekwad
Sunil Gavaskar was livid because it took the Indian team management three days to into the Test match against England to remember Dattajirajo.
The Indian cricketers decided to wear black armbands on Day 3 of the third Test against England in Rajkot to pay tribute to Dattajirao Gaekwad, a former India captain, who, on February 13 died in his hometown Baroda at the age of 95. Statistically, he was the oldest living Indian Test cricketer since the death of Deepak Shodhan in 2016. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar was livid because it took the Indian team management three days to into the Test match to realise it.
The third Test began on February 15, two days after Gaekwad had breathed his last but there was no armband on the Indian cricketers' jerseys on Day 1. The story was repeated on Day 2. It was only on Saturday that the BCCI announced that Rohit Sharma and Co. will take the field wearing black arm bands.
"Team India will be wearing black armbands in memory of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and India’s oldest Test cricketer who passed away recently," BCCI said in a release before the start of play on the third day of the Test match.
Gavaskar was unhappy that it was not on the first day itself. "Better late than never... they should've done it on Day 1 but better late than never," Gavaskar said on commentary as the players took the field. "He was captain of the Indian team in a five-match series. He captained four out of the five matches and the other one was captained by Pankaj Roy," Gavaskar added.
The BCCI did put out a condolence message hours after Gaekwad's death on Tuesday. "The BCCI expresses its profound grief at the passing away of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and India's oldest Test cricketer. He played in 11 Tests and led the team during India's Tour of England in 1959. Under his captaincy, Baroda also won the Ranji Trophy in the 1957-58 season, beating Services in the final. The Board expresses its heartfelt condolences to Gaekwad's family, friends, and admirers," it stated.
He played in 11 Tests and led the team during India's Tour of England in 1959. Under his captaincy, Baroda also won the Ranji Trophy in the 1957-58 season, beating Services in the final.
A nightmare for the Bombay (Mumbai) teams of the 1950s, those cover drives, unfortunately, never really came off when he played at the highest level from 1952 to 1961.
His son Aunshuman, who played 40 Tests from the 1970s to the 80s, was more successful with a tight defensive technique compared to his father.
He was a nightmare for the Bombay teams in the 50s and once smashed a double hundred but it was Hazare's 126 that was remembered more by old-timers.
The right-hander made his debut against England at Leeds in 1952 and his final international game was against Pakistan in Chennai in 1961.
In the Ranji Trophy, Gaekwad represented Baroda from 1947 to 1961. He scored 3139 runs at an average of 47.56, including 14 hundreds.
His highest was a 249 not out against Maharashtra in the 1959-60 season.
He became India's oldest living Test cricketer in 2016 after the death of former batter Shodhan at the age of 87 in Ahmedabad.
