Batting great Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday described his celebrated childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar as an “all-rounder” and a one-stop shop who was way ahead of his time when it came to teaching cricket as his coaching went beyond the field. Tendulkar was speaking after unveiling the legendary coach Achrekar’s memorial at the iconic Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray was also present on the occasion.
Recalling his days when he was under the tutelage of Achrekar, Tendulkar said players trained by him were never tensed during matches thanks to their solid temperament developed by the great coach.
“Ajit (Tendulkar’s elder brother) used to play, and in matches, his observation was, who were not sir’s students, they were tensed. He used to wonder sir’s students were never under pressure.
“Then he realised, sir had a lot of practice matches, and that temperament had been built. I was no exception,” Tendulkar spoke in Marathi.
“Cricket was always going on under sir. Sir used to ask us to bring nets. Jeetu’s father had given sir a room, for the club’s kit, he told me to use that, and I used to play.
“He taught us to value things, we used to do rolling, sprinkle water, put nets, and practice, he trained us. The bond and understanding, a street-smart player, is someone who understands all this, water given to wicket, that’s how our brain used to absorb that information while doing that.” The memorial, near Gate No 5, had got the green signal from the Maharashtra government in August this year.
Recalling the Achrekar method, Tendulkar said, “Sir used to do level 1, 2, 3, 4 coaching in 1970s and 80s. He had a vision to teach players, and respect the kit. I still tell players, that you are on the field because of the bat, respect it.
“Please remember your cricket kit, don’t throw it, put it at a particular space, don’t take out your frustration on your cricket kit. I am sitting here because of my kit. I will always pass on sir’s messages to the future generation. We will try.
“Sir used to tell a lot with his eyes. We used to figure out by his body language. He didn’t tell me ‘well played’ ever.
“Sir didn’t take that chance ever, after a match, he sometimes used to give me money to take a vada pav, that’s how I figured, I must have done something well. There was always that kind of affection.
“We used to go to his home, were invited by him and his wife, and our favourite diet was mutton curry, pav, lemon and onion. Vishakha used to come and serve us.” Achrekar, who coached several Indian players, died in January 2019.
In 1990, Achrekar was honoured with the prestigious Dronacharya Award and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2010.
Tendulkar continued, “Sir used to say, roll, and do batting. On the centre wicket, sir used to say, you have to survive for 10 minutes. If anyone in the whole ground catches the ball, I’ll be out. When I would be tired, he used to say, two rounds are remaining, play for more two rounds, and wear the kit and take the two rounds.
“Sir was strict, but whenever I did well, he used to praise me.” For someone who dedicated his life to shaping the careers of those aspiring to make a name in the sport, the memorial will serve as a motivation for the next generation of cricketers.
“Sir had a swiss knife, glue, sand paper, first aid, after match, he used to say ‘let’s do match demonstration’. He wrote in code language, who did what wrong in the match. Once, during batting, a friend was flying a kite, he would stand and see, and take notes.
“Sir was a general store, used to have everything, was very caring. he used to control situations while we were going to the doctor also. He was an all-rounder,” Tendulkar said.
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