After battling alcohol addiction, Eknath Solkar's brother now coaching young cricketers

Most parents were left wondering when our lensman clicked pictures of their childrenrsquos coach It had never happened in the last 15 yearsWho is he Is he someone special These would have been some questions that the parents would have asked as they whispered among themselvesIt is only when you hear his last name ndash Solkar ndash that you sit up and take notice For Anant is the younger brother of Indiarsquos legendary closein fielder late Eknath SolkarFormer firstclass cricketer Anant Solkar coaching kids at the United Cricketers pitch in Cross Maidan earlier this week PicSuresh KKAfter just 26 firstclass matches Anantrsquos cricketing career abruptly ended when he was only 30 The Ranji Trophy match between Baroda and Maharashtra in 198081 at Moti Bagh Stadium was his last match He ended with 63 wickets and 628 runs His firstclass career took off with Railways from 1971 to 1976 and later moved on to play for Maharashtra from 1977 to 1979Vilas Godbole who got Anant back to cricketldquoI performed decently against Baroda 4 36 and 034 but I was dropped for the next match against Mumbai Bombay then Eknath who was part of the Mumbai team was furious that I was the 12th man He spoke to Ramesh Borde and other Maharashtra officials After the match Eknath told me to stop playing cricket I quit cricket immediatelyrdquo the 63yearold says with regret ldquoI think it was a wrong decision I should have continued playing but he was my elder brother and I respected his decisionrdquoSharad Rumde who got Anant back to cricketCricket was his life And when that opportunity was taken away Anant went astray He found solace in alcohol ldquoI donrsquot know what happened There was nothing left in my life after cricket I was slowly becoming addicted to it alcohol My day would start and end with itrdquo says Anant who now resides in a humble dwelling in Bandra after his Chira Bazaar house went under redevelopment in 2001Things went from bad to worse for Anant His 15yearold daughter passed away in 1986 due to blood cancer A year later Anant quit his job at Tata Electric ldquoNothing was going right for me There were times when I had no money to even travel At times I would have no food during the day I was in bad company as well My friends would pay for my drinksrdquo he saysEknath Solkar gives catch practice to his younger brother Anant Pic courtesyEknath SolkarAfter all who wouldnrsquot love to tag along with the brother of a famous India cricketer ldquoEknath would often tell me to quit drinking My wife and son too told me the same thing but I just wouldnrsquot listenrdquo recalls Anant Thanks to a modest job his wife managed to get it helped the family stay afloat The alcohol addiction went on for more than 15 years affecting his speech and leaving his body frail His liver was badly damaged The doctors had even issued a final warning to ldquoimmediatelyrdquo stop alcohol But his situation remained unchangedThatrsquos when United Cricketers club owner Vilas Godbole and the clubrsquos caretakercumcoach Sharad Rumde volunteered to put Anantrsquos life back on track by giving him a coaching opportunity at Cross Maidan Slowly and steadily they brought him out of addiction Since 2007 Anant has not touched alcoholRumde was disheartened to see Anant sitting amongst the drug addicts at a corner of Azad Maidan drinking alcohol ldquoThat wasnrsquot an ideal place for him I thought I should pull him out from here I urged him to come to our practice sessions and train the boys Initially he would just sit But later on he started getting involved with the boysrdquo says RumdeGodbole in his book My Innings in Mumbai Cricket writes ldquoAnant was a very good allrounder He was an outstanding fielder Many who played with him felt Anant was a more talented cricketer than Eknathrdquo Anant still rues the four dropped catches and a stumping chance off his bowling during a North Zone versus Marylebone Cricket Club match at Gandhi Sports Complex Amritsar in 1972 Solkar went wicketless and conceded 50 runs in 16 overs in the first innings and did not get to bowl in the second inningsldquoI would have got into the Indian team had the catches of Tony Greig Keith Fletcher Barry Wood and Pat Pocock were taken A stumping chance was also missedrdquo recalls Anant Fletcher went on to score unbeaten 120 and Wood scored 54 in the first innings Greig scored 54 in the second innings as the match ended in a drawGodbole and Rumbe helped Anant get umpiring assignment in local matches in 2001 But in 2009 his umpiring stint also ended abruptly after a controversial decision ldquoSome people felt I gave a wrong decision because I am a bevda drunkard My decision was correct but I was immediately removed from umpiringrdquo a crestfallen Anant saysNow a fitagain Anant is keen to change this perception of the cricketing fraternity towards him ldquoBefore I die I want to produce at least one cricketer who is gutsy as me I tell the boys to always look to get runs on every ball I tell them it is not necessary to always defend a good length ball Ek run toh aana he chahiye at least try to get a single No opportunity should be wasted I am ready to help the Mumbai Cricket Association MCA in their cricketing activitiesrdquoThe most startling fact is that Anant does the coaching for free ldquoNow everything is on track My son is well placed with a firm I get pension Rs 15000 per month from the Board Board of Control for Cricket in India I donrsquot come here for money Cricket is my passion and I want to give back something to this gamerdquo he says Life has come full circle for Anant It was cricket which threw his life upside down and it is this very game that has given him a new lease of life Such is the irony of lifeAnant Solkar Career highs His 396 and 628 remains the best allrounder record in interschool cricket Anant playing for Maratha High School created the record in a Harris Shield match in 1968 versus Hume Anant claimed 8100 his best firstclass figure during Railways vs Delhi Ranji Trophy match in 197273 at Karnail Singh Stadium