Datta Gaekwad
Encyclopedia
Dattajirao Krishnarao Gaekwad (born October 27, 1928 in Vadodara
, India) is a former Indian cricket
er. He appeared in 11 Test matches, toured England in 1952 and 1959 and West Indies in 1952-53. He captained the Indian team in the 1959 tour. As a batsman Gaekwad "possessed a sure defence and delightfully crisp shots especially through the covers". He was also an occasional leg spin
bowler.
Gaekwad played his early cricket for Bombay University and the Maharaja Sayaji University in Baroda. He made his Test debut at Leeds in 1952, opening the innings, though he had never done it before this tour. His West Indies tour in the next year was terminated abruptly during the second Test when he collided with Vijay Hazare
while going for a catch and dislocated his shoulder.
In 1956-58, he captained Baroda
to their first Ranji
title in nine years. He scored a double hundred against the defending champions Bombay
during the course of the season. This was followed by a recall to the Indian team for the final Test against West Indies
in 1958-59. His 52 in the second innings was the only fifty of his career and went some way towards India earning an honourable draw.
With Hemu Adhikari
, who had captained in this match, being unavailable, Gaekwad led the Indian team to the tour of England in 1959. He suffered from illness throughout the series and did not have much control over the team. It did not help that he had another man from Baroda
as the manager, which did not go well with some players. India lost all the five matches and Gaekwad did not appear in another Test.
In Ranji Trophy
, he scored 3139 runs with 14 centuries and a highest of 249 against Maharashtra
in 1959-60. Gaekwad is the father of the Indian opener Anshuman Gaekwad
. He was distantly related to the Baroda royal family and served as the Deputy comptroller to the Baroda state.
Vadodara
Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million...
, India) is a former Indian cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. He appeared in 11 Test matches, toured England in 1952 and 1959 and West Indies in 1952-53. He captained the Indian team in the 1959 tour. As a batsman Gaekwad "possessed a sure defence and delightfully crisp shots especially through the covers". He was also an occasional leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
bowler.
Gaekwad played his early cricket for Bombay University and the Maharaja Sayaji University in Baroda. He made his Test debut at Leeds in 1952, opening the innings, though he had never done it before this tour. His West Indies tour in the next year was terminated abruptly during the second Test when he collided with Vijay Hazare
Vijay Hazare
Vijay Samuel Hazare was an Indian cricket player from the state of Maharashtra. He captained the Indian cricket team in 14 matches between 1951 and 1953...
while going for a catch and dislocated his shoulder.
In 1956-58, he captained Baroda
Baroda cricket team
The Baroda cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the city of Vadodara. The home ground of the team is the Moti Bagh Stadium on the palace grounds. The team is run by the Baroda Cricket Association. It has been one of the most successful teams in the Ranji Trophy in the new millennium...
to their first Ranji
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
title in nine years. He scored a double hundred against the defending champions Bombay
Mumbai cricket team
The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team representing the city of Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. It is the most successful team in the Ranji Trophy, India's top domestic cricket competition, with 39 titles, the most recent being in 2009–10. The team's home ground is the Wankhede Stadium in...
during the course of the season. This was followed by a recall to the Indian team for the final Test against West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
in 1958-59. His 52 in the second innings was the only fifty of his career and went some way towards India earning an honourable draw.
With Hemu Adhikari
Hemu Adhikari
Colonel Hemchandra Ramachandra Adhikari was an Indian cricketer, representing his country as both a player and coach in a career that spanned three decades....
, who had captained in this match, being unavailable, Gaekwad led the Indian team to the tour of England in 1959. He suffered from illness throughout the series and did not have much control over the team. It did not help that he had another man from Baroda
Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad
Lieutenant-Colonel Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Shrimant Maharaja Fatehsinghrao Prataprao Gaekwad, Sena Khas Khel Shamsher Bahadur, Maharaja of Baroda was a former Maharaja of Baroda....
as the manager, which did not go well with some players. India lost all the five matches and Gaekwad did not appear in another Test.
In Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
, he scored 3139 runs with 14 centuries and a highest of 249 against Maharashtra
Maharashtra cricket team
The Maharashtra cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the Indian state of Maharashtra in the city of Pune. It is in the Plate Group of the Ranji Trophy...
in 1959-60. Gaekwad is the father of the Indian opener Anshuman Gaekwad
Anshuman Gaekwad
Anshuman Dattajirao Gaekwad is a former Indian cricketer and two-time Indian national cricket coach. He played in 40 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals....
. He was distantly related to the Baroda royal family and served as the Deputy comptroller to the Baroda state.