'I was absolutely devastated to hear the news, was lucky to have a few conversations with him' - Rohit Sharma on passing away of Anshuman Gaekwad

While the Indian cricketing fraternity mourns the loss of former cricketer and head coach, Anshuman Gaekwad, who passed away on Wednesday night, the ODI skipper of the Indian team, Rohit Sharma, paid his respects by sharing reflections and noteworthy memories about the esteemed cricketer.

Ahead of the ODI series set to commence on August 2, Rohit expressed profound devastation upon hearing the news. He recounted his interactions with Gaekwad during award ceremonies hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Rohit also recalled Gaekwad's presence during his Ranji Trophy matches, where they discussed various technical aspects of his game.

“I was absolutely devastated to hear that news. I was lucky to have a few conversations with him during the BCCI awards, and on a personal note as well. When I was playing Ranji Trophy, he was there and I had a chance to speak to him when he had a few things to talk about my game as well, which was overwhelming for me because he was such a great cricketer for us," Sharma was quoted as saying by NDTV.

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Furthermore, the Hitman also underscored the importance and gratitude he felt in learning from senior cricketers. He reflected on the profound realization of the challenges faced in cricket during Gaekwad's era, emphasizing how invaluable it was for him to gain insights from Gaekwad's perspective. 

“It's always nice when you learn from your seniors, understand how cricket was played back in the day, how tough it was and then to pass on his experiences on cricket and what his visions are about cricket. For me to understand that was a great learning at that point,” he further continued.

I was lucky that I had few chances to meet him and talk to him on personal level: Rohit

After expressing heartfelt condolences to Anshuman Gaekwad's family, Rohit Sharma remarked on his fortune to have had personal interactions with him, considering himself privileged to have met and conversed with the late cricketer on a personal level.

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“Condolences to his family, it's not a good time when you lose your loved ones, it's always tough. I was lucky that I had a few chances to meet him and talk to him on a personal level," the hitman concluded.

Gaekwad, aged 71, had been battling blood cancer and had travelled to King's College Hospital in London for advanced treatment before returning to his hometown, Vadodara, in June. He passed away at the Bhailal Amin General Hospital around 10 pm on Wednesday night.