Mumbai: As reported widely in various sections of the media, newly elected BCCI President Anurag Thakur is not the youngest chief of Indian cricket’s governing body.
Late Indian politician, cricketer, and titular Maharaja of Baroda Fatehsinghrao Prataprao Gaekwad was the youngest to hold the top post at 33. Thakur becomes the second youngest BCCI President after Gaekwad.
The Himachal Pradesh CA President was unanimously elected BCCI President replacing Shashank Manohar in the Board's Special General Meeting (SGM) on Sunday. Manohar stepped down from the position to take up the ICC chief's job.
At 41 @ianuragthakur is 2nd youngest BCCI prez ever (after Fatehsingh Rao Gaekwad at 33). BCCI can do with energy & freshness. Best of luck!
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) May 22, 2016
In the cricket circuit, right-handed batsman Gaekwad represented Baroda in the Ranji Trophy between 1946 and 1958 and had a highest score of 99 in his first season.
Gaekwad was an expert cricket commentator in radio and was made an honorary life member by the MCC. He was the President of BCCI in India from 1963 to 1966, after serving as vice-president from 1959 to 1960 and again in 1962-63. He was known in England as ‘Jackie Baroda"and managed the Indian tour of England in 1959 and of Pakistan in 1978-79 and 1982-83.
Read: Anurag Thakur: All you need to know about BCCI’s 34th President
Gaekwad was the last ruling Maharaja of Baroda. He served in public office as a Member of Parliament, Parliamentary Secretary of the Defense Ministry, MLA in Gujarat, Minister of Health, Fisheries and Jails, Chancellor of the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, and Chairman of the Board of Governors, National Institute of Sports in 1962-63.
Gaekwad died in the Breach Candy Hospital in Bombay on September 1, 1988 at 58.
