It seems 'The One' above wants to form a crack Mumbai outfit in a hurry. Last year, it was Dilip Sardesai. Now it is Ashok Mankad, who has joined Eknath Solkar, Polly Umrigar, G S Ramchand, Ramnath Parkar and Sharad Diwadkar in the great beyond.

Mankad (61) died in his sleep yesterday morning. Not many of his contemporaries will disagree that he was one of the finest captains not to have led India.

Contribution

The former Test batsman was not in the inner ring of Mumbai cricket in the last few years of his life, but his contribution to its cricket was immense through runs, captaincy skills and later coaching.

He mentored, moulded and motivated players. And if at all there is a way of teaching one to be a street smart player, Mankad had a way in doing that too.

'Kaka' as he was affectionately called due to his admiration for actor Rajesh Khanna, led Mafatlal to become a dominant force on the inter-office circuit and their battles with Nirlon in the late 1970s and early 1980s were like India vs Pakistan duels.

Apart from leading Mumbai to Ranji Trophy triumphs, Mankad was coach when the city beat Hyderabad to claim the 1999-2000 title. It was his crowning moment as coach.

Sadly, he couldn't extend his winning ways. He was sore about his removal and believed an interview with this correspondent in 2001 in which he slammed the association for not meeting his and the team's needs, did him in. He coached Baroda later.

Golfer

Mankad was articulate and never made you feel dissatisfied when you talked cricket with him.  He was religious and enjoyed life's pleasures. After his playing days, golf became a passion.

A favourite Ashok Mankad anecdote would have to be about him dropping a catch during a domestic match.

When it was spilled, a senior pro in the press box yelled, "that's the 100th catch Mankad has dropped." A rookie reporter fell for the bait and promptly wrote it in his report.

Next morning, Mankad armed with the newspaper came looking for the journalist and demanded a run down of the remaining 99 catches.

The famous Mankads

Vinoo Mankad
Test cricketer par excellence. Was one of India's best all-round cricketers who coached several potential Test players.

Ashok Mankad
Eldest son of Vinoo. Played for India from 1969-70 to 1977-78. One of the finest cricket brains not to have led India

Nirupama Mankad
Wife of Ashok. She won the Asian tennis championship in 1965 at 17 years of age and is a seven-time national champion.

Harsh Mankad
An India Davis Cup player, Harsh followed his mother's footsteps instead of taking up the willow. He was India's number one player on the ATP Tour in 2005.

Atul Mankad
The younger son of Vinoo. He went on to represent Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy.

Rahul Mankad
Vinoo Mankad's youngest son was a fine middle order batsman for Mumbai in the 1970s.

Kapil Dev offers condolences to the Mankad family at the Shivaji Park crematorium yesterday. Kapil flew down from Delhi.

Former cricketers Dilip Vengsarkar and Ajit Wadekar

Ashok Mankad's son Mihir during the funeral. Pics/Sandeep Mahankal