Vadodara (Gujarat): Former India captain Dattajirao Gaekwad passed away here on Tuesday. A kin of Dattajirao Gaekwad confirmed the news of his demise.
He was 95 years old and is survived by his son Anshuman Gaikwad, who also played for India and later coached the Indian Cricket Team. Dattajirao Gaekwad, who was born on October 27, 1928, captained India on their 1959 tour of India.
Statistically, he was the oldest living Indian Test cricketer since the death of Deepak Shodhan in 2016. The right-hander made his debut against England at Leeds in 1952 and his final international game was against Pakistan in Chennai in 1961. He became India's oldest living Test cricketer in 2016 after the death of former batter Deepak Shodhan at the age of 87 in Ahmedabad.
He represented India in 11 Tests and toured England in 1952 and 1959 and West Indies in 1952-53. He scored 350 Test runs with the highest score of 52. He also played 110 first-class matches and scored 5,788 runs, with 17 hundreds and 23 half-centuries. His highest first-class score was 249 not out against Maharashtra in 1959-60 and he also captained Baroda in the Ranji Trophy.
He also hit two other double centuries and in 1949-50, hit 128 and 101 not out against Gujarat. Former India pacer Irfan Pathan condoled his demise and said it is a great loss for the cricketing community.
"Under the shade of the banyan tree at the Motibag cricket ground, from his blue Maruti car, Indian captain D.K. Gaekwad sir tirelessly scouted young talent for Baroda cricket, shaping the future of our team. His absence will be deeply felt. A great loss for cricketing community. #RIP #DKGaekwad (sic)," Pathan, who also played for Baroda, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The BCCI also expressed grief on Dattajirao's demise. "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," the BCCI said in a post on X.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah also condoled Dattajirao's demise. "Today, we say goodbye to the true titan of Indian cricket, the legendary Dattajirao Gaekwad, also known as DK. His remarkable performances as a player and captain have left a significant mark on the sport we love. With profound sadness, we mourn his passing at the age of 95 in Vadodara. May his legacy continue to inspires many in the future. My deepest condolences and thoughts are with his family, friends, and the cricket community (sic)," Shah said in a post on X.
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