Ramakant Achrekar: Master Blaster's Master

Kunal Purandare

Description

One of the greatest cricket coaches in the world, Ramakant Achrekar dedicated his entire life training champions. This book narrates his inspiring life story along with rare tales that highlight his immense contribution to the game.
This biography of the legend includes interviews/inputs by various players Achrekar has trained through the years.

Sujets

• Sport
• Autour du sport
• Histoire du sport
• Sports
• Lettres et linguistique
• Biography
• Ramakant Achrekar
• Coach
• Vinod Kambli
• Training
• Master Blaster
• Kapil Dev
• Autobiography
• Sachin Tendulkar
• Champion
• Cricket

Informations

• Publié par: Roli Books
• Date de parution: 19 avril 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789351941934
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

RAMAKANT ACHREKAR
 
OTHER LOTUS TITLES Adi B. Hakim, Rustom B. Bhumgara & Jal P. Bapasola With Cyclists Around The World Ajit Bhattacharjea Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah: Tragic Hero of Kashmir Anil Dharker Icons: Men & Women Who Shaped Today s India Aitzaz Ahsan The Indus Saga: The Making of Pakistan Ajay Mansingh Firaq Gorakhpuri: The Poet of Pain & Ecstasy Alam Srinivas & TR Vivek IPL: The Inside Story Amarinder Singh The Last Sunset: The Rise & Fall of the Lahore Durbar Amjad Ali Khan My Father Our Fraternity: The Story of Haafiz Ali Khan Bill Ricquier The Indian Masters B.K. Trehan & Indu Trehan Retired But Not Tired: Retirement Made Easy Indira Menon The Madras Quartet: Women in Karnatak Music Jaiwant Paul The Greased Cartridge: The Heroes and Villains of 1857-58 Lucy Peck Agra: The Architectural Heritage Lucy Peck Delhi a Thousand Years of Building: An INTACH-Roli Guide Madan Gopal My Life and Times: Munshi Premchand M.J. Akbar Byline M.J. Akbar Blood Brothers: A Family Saga Maj. Gen. Ian Cardozo Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle Maj. Gen. Ian Cardozo The Sinking of INS Khukri: What Happened in 1971 Madhu Trehan Tehelka as Metaphor Monisha Rajesh Around India in 80 Trains Noorul Hasan Meena Kumari: The Poet Rajika Bhandari The Raj on the Move: Story of the Dak Bungalow Ralph Russell The Famous Ghalib: The Sound of my Moving Pen R.V. Smith Delhi: Unknown Tales of a City Sandip Patil Caught & Told: Humorous Cricketing Anecdotes Clayton Murzello Shantanu Guha Ray Mahi: The Story of India s Most Successful Captain Sharmishta Gooptu Bengali Cinema: An Other Nation Shashi Tharoor Shadows Across the Playing Field: 60 Years of India Pakistan Cricket Shrabani Basu Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan S. Hussain Zaidi Dongri to Dubai Swapan K. Bandyopadhyay An Unheard Melody: Annapurna Devi an Authorised Biography Thomas Weber Going Native: Gandhi s Relationship with Western Women Thomas Weber Gandhi at First Sight Vaibhav Purandare Sachin Tendulkar: A Definitive Biography Vijayan Bala The Complete Indian Sports Quiz Book Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta: The Score of My Life FORTHCOMING TITLE Shahrayar Khan Bhopal Vignettes
 
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
An Imprint of Roli Books Pvt.
Ltd M-75, Greater Kailash- II Market
New Delhi 110 048
Phone:++91 (011)40682000
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.rolibooks.com
Copyright Kunal Purandare
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, print reproduction, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Roli Books. Any unauthorized distribution of this e-book may be considered a direct infringement of copyright and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
eISBN: 978-93-5194-193-4
All rights reserved.
This e-book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher's prior consent, in any form or cover other than t in which it is published.
 
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 b