"Anshu told me that he needs funds for his treatment"- Sandeep Patil calls on BCCI to save former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad's life
Former Indian batter Sandeep Patil called on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to help save former coach Anshuman Gaekwad's life with adequate funds. Gaekwad has been battling blood cancer for the past year and Patil visited him at the King's College Hospital in London.
During his visit, Gaekwad informed Patil of his need for funds for his treatment and the latter wrote about the same in his latest column for the Mid Day.
Patil said:
"Anshu told me that he needs funds for his treatment. Soon, Dilip Vengsarkar and I spoke to BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar. In fact, our calls were made to Ashish Shelar after seeing Anshu at King's College Hospital in London. Ashish Shelar instantly said he would look into ours and other former cricketers' request for funds."
He added:
"I'm sure he will facilitate this and, at the risk of sounding macabre, save Anshu's life. Any cricketer from any country should be helped by his board, but Anshu's case must be taken on priority and treated as paramount."
Patil's request to the BCCI comes after the board awarded the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team with ₹ 125 crore for winning the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Coming to Gaekwad, he played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India in a 12-year career from 1975 to 1987. A right-handed opening batter, he scored over 2,000 runs with two centuries and 11 half-centuries.
"I'm no stats man, but I think Sachin Tendulkar was most successful during Anshu's term" - Sandeep Patil
Sandeep Patil further recalled Anshuman Gaekwad's successful coaching tenure for India in the late 1990s in two separate stints from 1997 to 1999 and in 2000.
Legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar enjoyed one of his best seasons under Gaekwad in 1998, scoring over 2,500 runs with 12 centuries.
"He coached India in another era, but the current players have been inspired by the cricketers he coached during his successful stint. I'm no stats man, but I think Sachin Tendulkar was most successful during Anshu's term. Not for a moment I'm suggesting that all those runs came from Anshu's blade, but he was there when Sachin needed all the moral support to play his natural game and that was to blast away," said Patil.
India's all-time leading wicket-taker in Tests, Anil Kumble also picked up his historic ten-wicket haul in the second innings against Pakistan at Delhi during Gaekwad's coaching stint.
The side also reached the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy final under his guidance before losing to New Zealand in the summit clash.