Team India wear black armbands in memory of Anshuman Gaekwad

India are playing with black armbands against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the bilateral ODI series. It is to honour the memory of former India and Baroda cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad, who passed away on Wednesday in Vadodara after a long battle with cancer. 

Gaekwad was 71 when he breathed his last. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the many who expressed their condolences on his passing. He was undergoing treatment for quite some time, and recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released INR 1 Crore to support his cancer treatment. 

Known for his fortitude and courage against fast bowlers as an opener, he played 70 innings for India and scored 1,985 runs at an average of 30.07. He had a long first-class career for Baroda, for whom he batted 326 times and scored 12,136 runs at an average of 41.56. 

Once his cricket playing career ended, Gaekwad shifted to coaching and coached the Indian men’s side between 1997-99. He was even a selector for a brief period. 

Meanwhile, the Men in Blue had begun their Sri Lanka tour on a high earlier after beating the home side 3-0 in the T20I series. They are now bowling first in the first ODI, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning to the side

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