Former player Dattajirao Krishnarao Gaekwad, also lovingly referred to as DK Gaekwad, went away at the age of 95 in a tragic development for Indian cricket. Early on Tuesday, February 13, Gaekwad, the former skipper and oldest Test cricket player for India, passed away.
Born in Baroda, DK Gaekwad made a remarkable captaincy debut in 1957–58, leading his team to win the Ranji Trophy. Gaekwad was the oldest living cricket player in India until his death in 2016, when Deepak Shodhan passed away. This allowed C.D. Gopinath to take over as the oldest living Indian cricket player.
95-year-old DK Gaekwad passes away.
After making his debut for India in 1952, Gaekwad’s nine-year international career in cricket officially began. In 11 Test matches, he wore the Indian shirt and amassed 350 runs at an average of 18.42, including a noteworthy half-century.
The 95-year-old, who played 110 first-class matches for Baroda, had a significant impact on local cricket. DK Gaekwad amassed an outstanding 5,788 runs, scoring 17 hundreds and 23 fifties. Gaekwad’s flexibility did not end with his bat; he could also deliver leg-breaks, which led to 25 wickets in first-class cricket.
On October 27, 2023, Gaekwad celebrated his 95th birthday, yet his passion for the game never wavered. After retiring, he gave his time to developing young players in the Baroda Cricket Association, making a lasting impression on future generations of cricketers. He was the last living cricket player from the Indian team that went on their 1953 tour of the West Indies. Interestingly, Anshuman Gaekwad, his son, carried on his legendary father’s legacy by wearing the Indian shirt in 55 matches across all forms and winning the BCCI’s prestigious C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2018.
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