A nostalgic look at Sachin's equation with Ramakant Achrekar
Ramakant Achrekar, the childhood coach of Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87 from old age-related ailments. While Sachin was Achrekar's most renowned protege, Achrekar was a legendary cricket coach in his own right, and was conferred the Dronacharya Award and the Padma Shri in 1990 and 2010 respectively. Here's a nostalgic look at the Achrekar-Sachin partnership.
Achrekar, never recognized as a player, was an exemplary coach
Born in 1932, Achrekar never received much recognition as a player, but quickly rose to prominence after he started the Kamath Memorial Cricket Club coaching academy at Mumbai's Shivaji Park. Achrekar devoted most of his life to cricket coaching, and produced around a dozen international players, including the likes of Ajit Agarkar and Vinod Kambli. Other Achrekar proteges like Chandrakant Pandit, Sanjay Bangar, Pravin Amre, and Ramesh Powar went on to have successful coaching careers too.
Achrekar started coaching Sachin from 11 years of age
Achrekar became Sachin's coach when the latter was just 11 years old, and the duo went on become a lethal combination, with Achrekar constantly pushing Sachin's limits, and Sachin surpassing them with his drive to improve. Interestingly, however, Achrekar, who had admitted to understanding that Sachin was special from day one, never congratulated the master blaster till he retired from international cricket.
Achrekar never allowed Sachin to become complacent
"Sir till now had never told me well played. The reason was that sir didn't want me to get complacent. Sir told me that this game is bigger than any cricketer and always respect it. I always respected it," Sachin had revealed after retirement.
How a tight slap from Achrekar had changed Sachin's life
Indeed, Achrekar never let Sachin rest on his laurels. While celebrating Achrekar's 79th birthday in 2011, Sachin had recounted how he had received a "tight slap" from the legendary coach for skipping a practice match during his school days to watch the Harris Shield final at the Wankhede Stadium. The unexpected slap, Sachin had said, had taught him about the importance of hard work in the steep climb to cricketing glory.
The all-important message Achrekar had conveyed to Sachin
"At that time, sir told me 'You don't have to be here to cheer for others. Play in such a way that others cheer for you'. Since that day, I began practising very hard...If not for that day, I might have been cheering others from the stands," Sachin had said.
When Achrekar had summoned Sachin for scoring 78 runs
Years later, during England's tour of India in 1993, Achrekar reminded Sachin of his potential when he got out after scoring 78 in India's first innings of the 3rd Test. Achrekar, who had been busy coaching school teams, saw Sachin get out on television, and summoned him to the grounds next morning. He lambasted the young cricketer for not playing up to his potential, and Sachin, already a hero, listened like an errant school child.
The Achrekar-Sachin bond can hardly be summed up in words
While the bond between Sachin and Achrekar can hardly be summed up in words, the fact that the ace cricketer paid his respects to Achrekar during every Teacher's Day says a lot. Further, while Sachin has signed memorabilia from legends like Don Bradman, Muhammed Ali, and Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, his most valuable possessions still remain the Re. 1 coins he earned from Achrekar.
The Re. 1 coins that turned into 'gold medals'
While training Sachin to bat, Achrekar would place a Re. 1 coin on the stump. If Sachin did not get out in the day, he would take the coin home. Sachin earned 13 such coins in his life. He considers them as "gold medals".
