India's oldest living Test cricketer Dattajirao Gaekwad dies at 95

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India's oldest Test cricketer and former captain Dattajirao Gaekwad died on Tuesday due to age-related ailments. Gaekwad, who was the father of former India opener and national coach Aunshuman Gaekwad, was 95.

He breathed his last early this morning after battling for life in the ICU of a Baroda hospital for the past 12 days, a source in the family told PTI. He played 11 Tests for India between 1952 and 1961, captaining the team during the 1959 tour of England. He scored 350 runs at an average of 18.42. He also played 110 Test matches and scored 5788 runs (17 hundreds) at an average of 36.40.

"The BCCI expresses its profound grief at the passing away of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and India’s oldest Test cricketer. He played in 11 Tests and led the team during India’s Tour of England in 1959. Under his captaincy, Baroda also won the Ranji Trophy in the 1957-58 season, beating Services in the final. The Board expresses its heartfelt condolences to Gaekwad's family, friends, and admirers," the BCCI wrote alongside his picture on X.

The right-hander made his debut against England at Leeds in 1952 and his final international game was against Pakistan in Chennai in 1961.

In the Ranji Trophy, Gaekwad represented Baroda from 1947 to 1961. He scored 3,139 runs at an average of 47.56, including 14 hundreds.

His highest was a 249 not out against Maharashtra in the 1959-60 season. He became India's oldest living Test cricketer in 2016 after the death of former batter Deepak Shodhan at the age of 87 in Ahmedabad.

(With Input From PTI)