India’s first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev and the legendary Sunil Gavaskar are organising funds to meet the medical expenses of former opener and coach Aunshuman Gaekwad, who is fighting a grim battle against blood cancer at a Vadodara hospital.
Kapil is also trying to set up a trust for the treatment of former cricketers where every individual and corporate house can contribute to help the ailing and needy. The modalities are still being worked out.
“I don’t want the BCCI to do anything. They have done enough for the players and are still doing so. I would want everyone to come forward and help Gaekwad,” Kapil told The Telegraph on Saturday.
Gaekwad, 71, played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs in an international career spanning more than a decade. In the pre-helmet era of the 70s, Gaekwad was the epitome of grit and courage. He is most remembered for his daring 81 in the first innings of the Kingston, Jamaica, Test in 1976 against a fiery attack led by Michael Holding before a nasty blow on his ear forced him to retire hurt.
The 1983 World Cup squad’s WhatsApp group has been abuzz for the last couple of months on ways to generate funds for Gaekwad. Besides Kapil and Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, Sandeep Patil, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri and Kirti Azad have been trying to generate support from corporate honchos and friends for Gaekwad.
All the members of the 1983 squad have decided to donate their three-months BCCI pension towards Gaekwad’s treatment.
Every player gets more than ₹75,000 per month and the total amount of around ₹50 lakh will be handed over to his family.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced a prize money of ₹125 crore for the T20 World Cup-winning squad last month but hasn’t come forward to help Gaekwad despite appeals from several quarters.
Patil and Vengsarkar had even spoken to BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar in May and requested for help after visiting Gaekwad at King’s College Hospital in London. He returned home last month.
Sachin Tendulkar, who played when Gaekwad was the coach, is also believed to have spoken to secretary Jay Shah.
The BCCI has a medical benevolent fund for retired first-class players, which allows them to be eligible for reimbursement up to ₹5 lakh but the expenses overshoot the insurance cap on most occasions.
“We are in touch with his family every day. It gives me immense pain to see him in this condition...” Syed Kirmani, Gaekwad’s one-time teammate, told this newspaper.
Another teammate Kirti Azad was livid. “Aunshu’s case should have woken up the BCCI. Sadly the officials haven’t come forward to take it up on a priority basis,” the MP from Bengal said.
“Aunshu was a tiger who took blows on his chest and face when facing up to the hostile bowling. The BCCI has been spending crores on officials’ travel and stay. It should have taken steps for the wellbeing of the past players,” said Azad.