Ramakant Achrekar: Master Blaster's Master

By Kunal Purandare

Kunal Purandare is senior assistant editor with the Forbes India magazine in Mumbai. His first book, Vinod Kambli: the Lost Hero, was published in January 2011 when he was only in his 20s. A journalist for over a decade, Purandare has also worked with the Daily News and Analysis (DNA) newspaper in Mumbai and MiD-DAY, the city’s best-selling tabloid.
Purandare studied at the St Xavier’s High School in Fort, Mumbai and did his graduation in commerce from KC College. He also holds a master’s degree in economics from the Mumbai University. Apart from this, he has successfully completed his diploma in journalism and mass communication from the Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC) in Mumbai. He was the recipient of the institution’s inaugural ‘Student of the decade’ award in 2012. He also holds a diploma in advertising and public relations from the Welingkar Institute of Management.
An avid cricket lover since childhood, Purandare’s interests also include watching movies and listening to music apart from travelling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roli Books
• Release date: Apr 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9789351941934

Book preview

RAMAKANT

ACHREKAR

OTHER LOTUS TITLES

RAMAKANT

ACHREKAR

Master Blaster’s Master

KUNAL PURANDARE

For my parents

Jyotsna and Jagdish Prurandare

ROLI BOOKS

This digital edition published in 2016

First published in 2016 by

The Lotus Collection

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Copyright © Kunal Purandare

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Contents

Acknowledgements

One

Man on a Mission

Two

Tennis Ball Champ

Three

Foray into Coaching

Four

The Rise of Shardashram

Five

A Prodigy Named Sachin

Six

Shaping Natural Talent

Seven

Gruelling Practice Sessions

Eight

Eye for Talent

Nine

Don’t Give Excuses

Ten

Father Figure

Eleven

Kambli – The Maverick

Twelve

Brilliant Coaches

Thirteen

Biggies and Beneficiaries

Fourteen

‘Step-motherly Treatment’

Fifteen

Special Life

Ramakant Achrekar’s Test XI

Index

About the Author

Acknowledgements

When I embarked upon this project, little did I know that I would have to bring to the fore the virtues of a good Test batsman – hard work, patience, temperament and the tenacity to survive tough periods. In the over two years that it took me to conduct my research and write this book, I was tested several times. But as in the art of constructing a long innings, there were others who provided rock-solid support at the other end and helped me achieve my goal.

My father Jagdish Purandare was among the first people to encourage me to write on my chosen subject and kept inquiring about its progress, often giving me valuable inputs along the way. Having played club cricket at the top level, his understanding of the cricketing culture in Mumbai in the 1970s and 1980s were of massive help to me. I thank him for believing in me. My mother Jyotsna is the first person I turned to, to share my apprehensions. She allayed all my fears and expressed faith in my ability to successfully complete the book. She constantly gave honest feedback on my writing which kept me on my toes. Having my bestest friend around was extremely comforting; I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude to her. At every step of this long journey, my brother Vaibhav mentored me and provided his expert insights on the subject. As the author of two books, including Sachin Tendulkar’s biography, and someone who was coached by Ramakant Achrekar himself, his vast knowledge of Mumbai and Indian cricket was fully exploited by me. Without his help and suggestions, the book wouldn’t have turned out the way it has. I owe him a lot more than just a humble thank you. My sister-in-law Swapna showed keen interest in the project and kept herself updated about its final outcome till the end. I thank her for her support.

The book began with the blessings of Ramakant Achrekar – one of the greatest cricket coaches in the world. Despite his ill health, he spoke to me at length at his residence and recalled his glorious days with a dose of humility. My special thanks to him for helping me in documenting his monumental achievements and special life. Sachin Tendulkar’s brother Ajit, who was instrumental in enrolling the child prodigy at Achrekar’s nets at Shivaji Park in the 1980s, granted me an extensive interview without a fuss. He narrated fascinating tales about how Achrekar moulded Sachin into a world-class batsman with the kind of coaching that was unheard of till then. Ajit Tendulkar also graciously allowed me to use some photos from his book, The Making of A Cricketer. I cannot thank him enough for sharing some priceless memories of Sachin’s childhood and for his generosity. In her interview to me, Achrekar’s daughter Vishakha Dalvi provided glimpses about the strict disciplinarian and the family man that her father is. I thank her for that.

Former India captain Ajit Wadekar had plenty to talk about his former colleague at the State Bank of India. He spoke in glowing terms about the Dronacharya’s impeccable batting skills in tennis ball cricket and his penchant for spotting talent. My thanks to Ajit Wadekar for giving me his valuable time. Former India cricketers Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Pravin Amre and Chandrakant Pandit were only too happy to share anecdotes about their beloved coach. They told me interesting stories about his no-nonsense approach during training and his desire to produce good cricketers.

I wish to thank former Mumbai players Amol Muzumdar, Sulakshan Kulkarni and Naresh Churi for sharing with me tales of their playing days under Achrekar and the efforts taken by the coach to turn them from raw players into champion cricketers. Achrekar’s first ‘official’ student Suresh Shastri, now an international umpire, spoke about the octogenarian’s foray into coaching back in the 1960s and his compassion towards his students, especially the poor.

Achrekar’s two assistant coaches – Laxman Chauhan and Das Shivalkar – are a treasure trove of stories about Achrekar and the way he conducted his nets. My thanks to them for telling me lovely incidents relating to matches played everywhere, from Azad Maidan to Shivaji Park. Former Mumbai cricketer Gopal Koli and his brother Govind recalled their days of playing tennis ball cricket with Achrekar and explained why he is superior to any other cricket coach in the country. Former Maharashtra pacer Pandurang Salgaonkar told me Achrekar’s speciality was that he let a player’s natural talent flourish and did not alter his technique.

I want to specially thank Ashok Gadkari for showing as much zeal in this project as I did. Having known Achrekar for decades, he helped me with rare insights into the man who has stayed away from the spotlight. Not only did he guide me at crucial junctures, he also encouraged me to keep going by constantly egging me on to complete my job despite the hurdles. Hemant Kenkre is an encyclopedia on Mumbai cricket and especially its club culture. I did not hesitate to pick on his brains and shamelessly sought his guidance whenever I was stuck. He never complained and willingly obliged. My heartfelt thanks to him for taking my calls for help.

Former Tripura cricketer Mayur Kadrekar, who captained Shardashram in the 1980s, put Achrekar’s contribution in transforming the school into an unbeatable unit in perspective. Sachin’s classmate Ricky Couto and fellow Shardashram alumni Sujit Gadkari and Hrishikesh Mehendale went back to the days when their school won everything and emphasized on Achrekar’s remarkable influence on its cricketing fortune. Seema Kanse- Dalvi, who was manager of the team when Achrekar was coach, says he single-handedly brought glory to Shardashram by bringing in cricketing jewels from across the city.

Sharad Tipnis, who opened the batting with Achrekar for State Bank of India, compliments his former teammate for his technique and tells me how difficult it was to dislodge him once he was set at the wicket.

It was a challenge getting photographs for the book and here’s where my former employers, the Daily News and Analysis (DNA) newspaper and MiD-DAY proved to be of great help. They allowed me to use images from their archives for the biography. The ever helpful Clayton Murzello, Group Sports Editor of MiD-DAY, took the lead in this regard and I remain grateful to him for that.

The team at Roli Books played a crucial role in publishing the book and deserves all my appreciation. Its Editorial Director Priya Kapoor instantly liked my proposal and agreed to bring out the book. I thank her for being deeply involved in the project at every step and making vital suggestions to enhance its quality. My thanks also to Managing Editor Neelam Narula for thoroughly scanning the manuscript and incorporating important changes in the text. Its Photo Editor Saloni Vaid was equally meticulous and chose the best possible photos for the book.

I would also like to express my thanks to journalist Himanshu Shekhar who did the first edit of the book and gave me his honest opinion on how it had turned out.

Like in cricket, partnerships play an important role in life too. And it’s because of the efforts of all the people mentioned above and my well wishers that I could dare to complete this enormous task. The book has also been possible because of the blessings of my late grandparents, Suryakant Chemburkar and Lilawati Chemburkar, and maternal uncle, Sanjay Chemburkar, who is no more. I’m indebted to several others. And though I have not named everyone here, I remain thankful to each one of them for their presence and contribution in my life.

Kunal Purandare

ONE

Man on a Mission

Bombay, mid-1960s.

It is 7.20 am and Shivaji Park in Dadar is buzzing with life. The boys, dressed in whites, have finished their customary round of the maidan. It is a part of the daily routine prescribed by their coach. Once the round and the related drills are over, the boys break free for nets. That’s their routine for every day. There is nothing unusual about it, except one thing: Coach Ramakant Achrekar has not arrived yet.

This has never happened before. It is unusual that the boys have to wait for him. ‘Achrekar Sir’, as the boys call him, is always the first to reach. He pays attention to the minutest of details before practice starts. He has the key to the silver trunk which holds the cricket kit.

A few minutes later, the boys see Achrekar Sir hurrying towards them, taking brisk steps. He enjoys walking fast. But today, he seems to be in a real hurry. Wasting no time, he opens the trunk, instructs some boys to pad up, and orders a few others to join catching practice.

Everything seems normal now – the boy batting in the nets is meeting the ball crisply with the middle of his bat, the bowler is devising a plan to get him out and outside the practice area, Achrekar Sir, wearing his trademark tweed cap, is busy with another youngster.

His students, however, are oblivious to the fact that their Sir, who is going through the daily rigours of an early morning practice session as routine, has lost his son just a few hours ago. He has come to the ground immediately after performing the last rites. The personal tragedy failed to deter him and his unflinching dedication. He goes about training his students meticulously, as if nothing had changed.

Suresh Shastri, who is Achrekar’s first ‘official’ student, is at the ground, looking at him from a distance. He is the only person who knows about the tragedy. Before Achrekar reached the ground, Shastri had walked to his residence at Kabootarkhana (a locality in Dadar) to find out why he had not come for the practice session.

It was there that Achrekar’s brother told him about the demise of the baby boy. The baby had died immediately after birth (a little past midnight). Sir was at the cremation ground to complete the last rites, recalls Shastri.

A morose Shastri then returned to the ground and looked at his mentor with awe and a bit of disbelief. With moist eyes, he walked up to him and said: ‘Sir, why… why are you here? I know what has happened. It would have been okay had you not come. We would have managed the nets.’

Achrekar does not bat an eyelid and answers: ‘I lost one son, but my other sons are here. How could I leave them?’ His answer is a reflection of his inner being. As coach, he has devoted his life to cricket. For Achrekar, his students are his sons. He has five daughters (two of them are no more) and therefore, his bond with his students has always been like that of a father and his sons. What he has done for most of his ‘sons’ – looking after their educational expenses, sponsoring their cricketing equipment, waiving off their fees, giving them food, building careers by ensuring jobs for them, and more importantly, showering them with love and affection – makes him nothing less than an angel in their eyes.

No other coach has produced as many Test and first-class cricketers. To many, his biggest contribution to Indian and world cricket is Sachin Tendulkar, arguably the greatest cricketer to have played the game and someone who defines an era. In the coming years, the period from the late 1980s to the early 2010s, in which Tendulkar mesmerised cricket lovers with his glorious batting, will be known as the ‘Tendulkar era’.

Achrekar’s contribution, however, is not restricted to Tendulkar. His story goes beyond the domestic and international cricketers he has produced.

As his students open their hearts and tell fascinating tales about their revered guru, Achrekar’s greatness as coach and human being comes to the fore. If he had been PR savvy and made a noise about his work, he would have been in the limelight today, not living in anonymity in a modest one bedroom-hall-kitchen (1 BHK) house in Dadar – a stone’s throw away from Shivaji Park, where he devoted many hours of his life teaching cricket.

Success for him was synonymous with his students’ success. It is not surprising therefore, to see Achrekar getting unconditional love and respect from his students even today, almost 20-30 years after they stepped out of his humble academy.

TWO

Tennis Ball Champ

Born on 3 December 1932, in Bandvide village in Malvan, Sindhudurg district, cricket was an inheritance for Ramakant Achrekar. His father, brother, and paternal uncle – all were madly in love with the game. As a child, Achrekar followed in their footsteps and began playing cricket with his friends in Konkan, Maharashtra. There was one difference though – a tree branch was their bat and the ball they used was made of cloth.

His primary education happened in Bharad village where he stayed with his maternal aunt. Here, there was a huge playground of the Topiwala School where Achrekar and his friends organised inter-class matches. Most of the times, they would struggle to put together a team of 11 players, but that did not deter them. It was cricket that brought them together. On weekends, he would return to his home in Bandvide and play cricket in the fields. It was during these days that he developed his love for spending hours enjoying the game. However, barely had the 10-year-old Achrekar started getting used to the open fields in his village that his family decided to move to Bombay.

Bombay in the 1940s was not the city that it is today. It was a different era. There were more open spaces, salaries weren’t high, people were not ambitious, and education was not a priority either. Cricket was not the ‘religion’ that it became later, and cricketers were nowhere close to being demigods. In fact, India had just about started playing Test cricket while one-day internationals were unheard of. The game had not caught on in the country. But for Achrekar, it had.

At Chhabildas Boys High School in Dadar, where he took admission, he formed a team of cricket-crazy boys and organised inter-class matches. The boys would contribute an anna (1/16th of a rupee) each for the matches. Chhabildas also played the Times Shield tournament, but sadly for Achrekar, then aged 11, it was banned for three years from the year he took admission because a student represented the school despite not meeting the age criteria.¹ It was brought to the notice of the authorities who subsequently imposed a three-year ban on the school. But the cricket bug had bit young Achrekar by then. He set his sights