'I know the Board will take care of him' - Kapil Dev ready to donate pension, invites BCCI to help Anshuman Gaekwad fight cancer

Former India opener Anshuman Gaekwad is battling blood cancer and is admitted to a hospital in London, as revealed by Sandeep Patil earlier in the month. The 71-year-old is also struggling financially and has asked for help, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials are yet to react on the same. Amid this, Anshuman’s former teammate Kapil Dev stepped up and decided to donate his pension to help with his treatment.

The 1983 World Cup-winning captain also asked others to come forward and help Anshuman, who was a fierce opener of his time. Dev reminded how the cricketer took blows to his face and chest to help Indian cricket, and believes that it is now time for others to come forward and help him in this battle. He also hoped that BCCI would step in soon and take care of the finances and in the meantime, the 65-year-old asked the fans to pray for Anshuman.

“It is sad and very depressing. I am in pain because I have played alongside Anshu and can't bear to see him in this state. No one should suffer. I know the Board will take care of him,” the former cricketer told Sportstar.

“We are not compelling anyone. Any help for Anshu will have to come from your heart. He took blows on his face and chest when standing up to some of the ferocious fast bowlers. Now is the time for us to stand up for him. I am sure our cricket fans will not fail him. They should pray for his recovery,” he added.

Also Read: Sandeep Patil requests BCCI to finance Anshuman Gaekwad's medical expenses

As per reports, former cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar spoke to BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar, who promised to look after it. Meanwhile, Dev also pointed out that there’s no proper system maintained by BCCI to help its former players. He added that the players of the current generation are paid well, but it wasn’t the same back in the time, and so he expects BCCI to take care of the senior players from the past.

“Unfortunately, we don't have a system. It is great to see this generation of players make good money. It is good to see the support staff members also being paid well. In our time, the Board did not have the money. Today, it has and should take care of the senior players from the past,” Dev concluded.