Prayer meet held for Anshuman Gaekwad; Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Jay Shah attend

Legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev as well as BCCI secretary Jay Shah were among the dignitaries who attended a prayer meet organised here on Thursday in the memory of Anshuman Gaekwad.

Gaekwad, who served Indian cricket as a player, coach and selector, succumbed to blood cancer on July 31 in a private hospital in Vadodara at the age of 71. He was cremated a day later at Kirti Mandir in the city in the presence of Board of Control for Cricket in India president Roger Binny, former wicket keepers Nayan Mogia and Kiran More along with several former and current office-bearers of Baroda Cricket Association.

The prayer meet was organised on Thursday in the Sevasi area of Gujarat's Vadodara city by Gaekwad's family and people from all walks of life paid tributes to the departed soul.

Former India captain Gavaskar told media persons though he knew that Gaekwad was unwell for some time, it was still very shocking to hear about his demise. "He was my friend as well as (batting) opening partner. A day before any match, we used to sit and discuss how to tackle fast bowlers. That's how we became friends from being partners. My connection with him will always remain intact despite his demise. I knew he was not well. But, I was hopeful he would recover," he told reporters.

Gaekwad represented India in 40 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals. He was also the coach of the Indian team that finished runners-up at the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy. Gaekwad also played 205 first-class matches in a career spanning 22 years. He later took over as a coach of the Indian team.