Vijay Hazare losing battle against cancer

Vijay Hazare, the man who captained India to its first Test victory, has been fighting a "relentlessly losing battle" against intestinal cancer at a hospital in Baroda. He was admitted to the hospital 17 days ago.

Hazare's cancer was detected seven years ago and operated on successfully, but it made a return and spread to the whole body. Dr Iyengar, who worked at the hospital, read out a statement about Hazare's health. "The cancer has spread to all parts of the body. Old age, too, has hampered any chance of a recovery. We contacted experts in Mumbai and abroad but to no avail."

His family expressed gratitiude for the support that had come their way, and thanked the BCCI for the role it played by paying for all medical expenses.

Hazare, who is now 89, was one of the heaviest runscorers in the history of Indian domestic cricket, and once put together a run of 264, 81, 97, 248, 59, 309, 101 and 223 in 1943 and 1944. He captained India in 14 of his 30 Tests, in which he scored 2192 runs at the impressive average of 47.65, with seven centuries - two of them in the same match, against Australia at Adelaide in 1947-48, and two more in his first two matches as captain, against England in 1951-52.