CHENNAI: Dattajirao Krishnarao Gaekwad, India's oldest Test cricketer, passed away at his residence in Gujarat's Baroda on Tuesday. He was 95. Gaekwad played 11 Tests between 1952 and 1961, after making his Ranji debut in 1948.
Gaekwad is survived by his son, Anshuman Gaekwad, a former India cricketer and former coach of the national team.
Senior Gaekwad was said to be distantly related to the royal family of Baroda and did his schooling at Maharani Chimnabai High School in erstwhile Baroda state. He is fondly remembered for winning the Ranji Trophy for Baroda in his first year as the captain of the state in 1957-58.
Gaekwad's Baroda team had defeated the Services team by an innings and 51 runs in the final match played at the Motibaug Stadium in Vadodara.
''DK Gaikwad was a very nice person. He was a well-respected person too. He also captained India in those days. He must have been one of the oldest cricketers in the world at the time of his death,'' said former India cricketer and former secretary of the TNCA Bharath Reddy.
Bharath Reddy in his playing days got the opportunity to interact with DK Gaikwad through his son Anshuman. ''I got to know DK through his son Anshuman. He was a very nice person and very knowledgeable about the game. I have interacted with him a lot. In fact, Anshuman imbibed most of the qualities of his father. Anushman was a good learner of the game,'' recollected 69-year-old Reddy.
DK, as he was affectionately known, was a sound batsman who had a good defence and could drive well. He was also a good fielder who could field at any position. As an opening batsman, he made his debut in England in 1952. He later proved to be a good middle-order batter whenever he got a chance, be it on the tours of the West Indies in 1953 and England in 1959 and at home against Pakistan in 1952-53. He played for Baroda from 1947 to 1961 scoring 3139 runs (47.56) including 14 centuries. His highest score was 249 not out against Maharashtra in 1959-60.
''I have not seen him (DK) play, but I heard a lot of stories about him. From the people who have played with him. I have heard he (DK) was a very strong character like Anshuman, he (DK) was a very gutsy player,'' said Reddy, sending his condolences to DK's family members, in particular, Anshuman.