Dattajirao Gaekwad, 95, the oldest Test cricket player in India, passes away

Dattajirao Gaekwad, the oldest Test cricket player in India and a former captain, passed away on Tuesday from age-related illnesses.

At 95 years old, Gaekwad was the father of national coach Aunshuman Gaekwad and a former opener for India.

After fighting for his life for the last twelve days in the intensive care unit of a Baroda hospital, he passed away early this morning, a family source informed PTI.

Between 1952 and 1961, he participated in 11 Test matches for India, leading the team on its 1959 tour of England as captain.

The BCCI is very saddened by the loss of Dattajirao Gaekwad, the oldest Test cricket player in India and a former captain. During India’s 1959 Tour of England, he captained the squad and participated in 11 Test matches. In the 1957–58 season, Baroda defeated Services in the final to win the Ranji Trophy when he was captain. The Board sends its sincere condolences to Gaekwad’s friends, family, and supporters,” BCCI said in a statement on the social networking site X.

The right-hander played his last international match in 1961 in Chennai against Pakistan after making his debut against England in Leeds in 1952.

Gaekwad played for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy between 1947 and 1961. At an average of 47.56, he scored 3139 runs, 14 hundred among them.

His greatest was a 1959–60 season 249 not out against Maharashtra.

After former hitter Deepak Shodhan passed away in Ahmedabad in 2016 at the age of 87, he became the oldest surviving Test cricket player in India.