Heroes aplenty at ex-Mumbai coach Amre’s Zero for 5 book launch

India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev (third from left) releases Pravin Amre’s (extreme left) book along with Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Prof Ratnakar Shetty (extreme right) at MCA-BKC Club in Bandra yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble

Can a team be five down for no runs on the board and then recover to beat the opponents in a first-class game? If you happen to play for a team which has never-say-die in their DNA, then yes. Zero for 5, a book by then Mumbai coach Pravin Amre was launched yesterday by someone who knows a thing or two about this city's Ranji Trophy team - Haryana's Kapil Dev. Beating Mumbai in the 1990-91 Ranji final is undoubtedly a high for him.

The story behind Amre's book title is that Mumbai were 0 for 5 in their Ranji Trophy semi-final v Baroda. They shrugged off that upheaval, beat Baroda and went on to win the title in that 2006-07 season.

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Amre had a star turn out for his book release at the MCA-BKC Club on Sunday evening. His India senior Kapil was the guest of honour while other greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar shared the stage along with popular administrator Prof Ratnakar Shetty. Among the audience were members of that Ranji Trophy team - Nilesh Kulkarni, Amol Muzumdar and Abhishek Nayar. Ajinkya Rahane, who has benefited a great deal from Amre's coaching was in attendance too. The book is published by Chourangi Entertainments.

Amre, 55, inked his name in Indian cricket history when he scored a hundred on Test debut against South Africa at Durban in 1992-93. One of the most fascinating stories dished out on Sunday was the one about Gavaskar coming to the Bombay Central station to wish the Mumbai team for their Ranji knockout game against Karnataka at Bangalore. Those in the audience who hadn't heard this story before were as stunned as rookie Amre was way
back then.