# 21 former captains including Gavaskar appeal for Imran Khan treatment 2026-08-23T18:32:04+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets As many as 21 former international cricket captains from nine nations, including India's Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar, have written to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif renewing their appeal for proper medical care for former Pakistan PM and cricketer Imran Khan. The Deccan Herald reports that the move was initiated by former Australia captain Greg Chappell and is the second such letter from former captains seeking humane treatment for the 73-year-old, who has been in jail for more than three years. The Times of India reports that the letter follows developments this week that the signatories say fall short of a directive from Pakistan's Supreme Court. The Court had ordered that Khan be transferred to hospital for examination by a medical board including his own physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan, and reinstated weekly family visits. According to the letter, Khan's hospital stay lasted only a few hours, he was examined by a state-appointed team, declared medically fit, and returned to Adiala Jail before the court-ordered board could complete its work. The letter makes three specific requests: that the medical board be permitted to complete an independent assessment, that weekly family visits continue, and that recommended treatment be provided without delay. Among the signatories are Michael Atherton, Allan Border, Alastair Cook, Adam Gilchrist, Clive Lloyd, and Steve Waugh. The letter notes the signatories write not as politicians but as former colleagues and rivals. The first appeal in February by 14 former captains received no response from the Pakistan government. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both Deccan Herald and Times of India report the story as a straight news item, sticking closely to the facts of the letter and the events that prompted it. Deccan Herald leads with the names of the Indian cricketers involved, while Times of India provides more detail on the Supreme Court order and the alleged failure to comply. Neither outlet introduces editorial judgement or speculation. The common ground is clear: a group of cricket legends has made a specific, court-referenced appeal for medical care for a former colleague, and the previous appeal went unanswered. A careful reader should watch for any response from the Pakistan government or the courts, which would determine the next chapter of this story. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - deccanherald.com (neutral report) Straight wire copy, no slant, leads with Indian cricketer names - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Detailed reporting of letter and court order, no editorialising This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-23T19:40:43+00:00. Tags: Dilip Vengsarkar, Greg Chappell, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/gavaskar-kapil-vengsarkar-among-21-ex-captains-appealing-for-imran-khans-treatment/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/gavaskar-kapil-vengsarkar-among-21-ex-captains-appealing-for-imran-khans-treatment/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/