A new book on Dronacharya award-winning coach Ramakant Achrekar of Tendulkar fame throws light on other contemporary coaches who were as good as he was and some who were greatly admired by him
Unlike now, when there are a plethora of coaches conducting nets with money as one of their main motives, between the 1960s and early 1990s, there were very few coaches, but they were renowned for their proficiency. They enjoyed a good reputation because their only desire was to produce good cricketers and they worked tirelessly at that. It is important, while examining Ramakant Achrekar’s life and times, to throw light on other contemporary coaches who were as good as he was and some who were greatly admired by Achrekar himself.
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A 2010 image of Ramakant Achrekar offering tips to a girl cricketer at Shivaji Park. Pic/mid-day Archives
Vithal Patil (popularly known as Marshall Patil) was regarded as one of the best coaches in the city. Right from his playing days, he had a profound influence on his contemporaries, including the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who calls him an ‘unsung hero’. The two played together for Dadar Union for several years and Gavaskar has openly acknowledged that he benefited immensely from Patil’s guidance.
Vithal ‘Marshall’ Patil
Shivaji Park was home to another distinguished coach from Mumbai, Ankush Vaidya, or Anna, as he was affectionately called. A diminutive man, who hit sixes with ease during his playing days. Anna, like Achrekar, was someone who did not chase money. He was coach of Chhabildas Boys High School and Balmohan Vidyamandir for over two decades. As coach, he got an honorarium of Rs 200 annually, but he did not let the measly sum come in the way of his producing exciting talent. India cricketers Sandeep Patil and Raju Kulkarni.
Vasant Amladi
Ajit Tendulkar rates Anna very highly as coach. ‘Someone who produced a fine batsman like Sandeep Patil has to be very good,’ said Ajit, who was coached by Anna at Balmohan. He, however, refused to draw comparisons between Anna and Achrekar, saying it’s unfair to compare the two as they had their own individual styles of coaching.
Anna Vaidya, who coached Test player Sandeep Patil
Anna laid tremendous emphasis on physical fitness and match practice. His boys vouched for the strenuous fielding sessions.
When I met Achrekar at his house near Shivaji Park, he spoke about Anna with tremendous admiration. ‘I have a lot of respect for Anna. He was elder to me and I often touched his feet as a mark of respect. Anna was a very good coach; he was a strict disciplinarian who took great interest in the progress of his boys,’ Achrekar said.
High praise
While these two names command a lot of respect within the cricketing fraternity, Achrekar rated Vasant Amladi, who played for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, as one of the best coaches he had seen. Amladi also played for Dadar Union and the Tatas as an opening batsman and medium-pace bowler. When I asked Achrekar why he rated Amladi so highly, he said: ‘Almost every batsman hits a full toss or a half-volley to the fence. Amladi would hit even good-length balls to the boundary frequently. He had exceptional skills in imparting cricketing knowledge and played a huge role in turning some young boys into fine cricketers.’
Achrekar said among those who benefited from Amladi’s expert advice were Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Bangar. He also gave valuable advice to Azhar and Sachin.
Amladi’s younger brother Mohini, who also played for Dadar Union and then for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, was also admired as a coach. He was a voracious reader and had gained tremendous knowledge by reading several books on cricket. Those who have seen him coaching (he coached Ruia College) say he was a practical coach who motivated his boys.
‘Homi (Hormasji) Vajifdar, who represented Mumbai in the 1930s, was also a very good coach who took his job seriously. He devoted his life to building a strong cricketing culture among his students,’ said Achrekar.
Madhav Mantri, Polly Umrigar and Madhav Apte were some famous names who were fortunate to have learnt the art of cricket from Vajifdar. While it is unfair to compare coaches because everyone has their own unique style, there was something distinct about all the names mentioned above in comparison to Achrekar. VS Patil, for instance, usually trained cricketers who were ready.
He was mainly a bowling coach who handled players after they were out of school and their basics were in place. Anna, on the other hand, taught the grammar of cricket to raw newcomers and focused on their basics. His emphasis was more on fielding and fitness. He was someone who encouraged positive and aggressive cricket among his students. Achrekar was a combination of the two. Technically he was far superior and he taught Test match-like batting to his wards. Since there were plenty of start-to-finish games and two and three-day matches then, he instilled the importance of staying at the wicket for long periods in them.
He worked tirelessly at improving the cricketing finesse of youngsters as well as older players in his nets. It also helped that he was coach of several schools and could keep a close watch on several talented players. He encouraged his students to focus only on their game, even if it meant giving academics second priority. Apart from the obvious cricketing aspects, he educated his wards about the need to respect elders and love the game.
Terrific Tyson
Since his retirement, Frank Tyson, a graduate from Durham University, dabbled into teaching (He was head of languages and housemaster at the Carey Grammar School in Adelaide and also taught French), painting, writing and coaching.
He emigrated to Australia in the early 1960s to become one of the most celebrated coaches in his adopted country. He spearheaded the Bombay Cricket Association’s Mafatlal Bowling Scheme and was associated with the Cricket Club of India’s bowling programme in the 1990s. Tyson was a master when it came to teaching the art of fast bowling. To become a fast bowler, he said, the first thing you need to have is the desire to bowl quick.
Sunny’s guide
Sunil Gavaskar has credited Thomas Stanley Worthington for changing his technique. In Sunny Days, Gavaskar writes, ‘I attended a coaching camp organised by the Board of Control at Hyderabad. There were thirty schoolboy cricketers in the camp and Mr TS Worthington, the former England player, was our coach. Mr Worthington changed my technique to the English one and gave me many invaluable tips.’
He (Worthington) passed away in 1973 just when Achrekar was starting to make his mark as a formidable coach. There were some other good coaches in Mumbai too, the most notable being Vinoo Mankad, who coached at the LR Tairsee nets at PJ Hindu Gymkhana, but I have refrained from writing about them as this book is not about the coaches of Mumbai. I chose some famous names who coached at Shivaji Park during the same time as Achrekar and those he spoke highly of.
(Ramakant Achrekar — Master Blaster’s Master by Kunal Purandare is published by Roli Books)
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