BCCI honours Indian legends Anshuman Gaekwad and Pankaj Roy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has honoured the trailblazing efforts of Pankaj Roy and Anshuman Gaekwad with the prestigious CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2016-17 and 2017-18 respectively.

Roy, who died in 2001 at the age of 72, will be honoured posthumously.

In 1956, openers Roy and Vinoo Mankad added 413 for the first wicket against New Zealand. The partnership remains India’s highest for any wicket in Test cricket. It was also a world record for any opening stand until South Africa’s Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie put on 415 against Bangladesh in Chittagong in February 2008.

Gaekwad, a former India opener and selector, who was also the team’s coach in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999, played 40 Tests from 1974 to 1985, scoring 1,974 runs with a highest score of 201 against Pakistan in Jalandhar in 1983.

A three-member committee comprising of CK Khanna, the board's acting president, Amitabh Choudhary, the acting secretary, and N Ram, an eminent journalist, made the nominations.

They also suggested Diana Edulji, the former India captain and left-arm spinner, and Sudha Shah, former India batsman and coach, for Lifetime Achievement Awards among women, the BCCI said.

Edulji, however, declined the award, given her role in the Committee of Administrators to oversee affairs of the board. "Nevertheless, I would like to thank the members of the BCCI awards committee for considering me worthy of this prestigious honour," she said.

Shah, who like Edulji was part of India’s first ever Test, played against the Windies in 1976, was also coach of the side when they made it to the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2005.

The honours will be presented at the BCCI annual awards function to be held in June before the Test between India and Afghanistan in Bengaluru.