mid-day special: Mentors on the maidans of Mumbai

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 Achrekarrsquos 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 himselfA 2010 image of Ramakant Achrekar offering tips to a girl cricketer at Shivaji Park Picmidday ArchivesVithal 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 lsquounsung herorsquo The two played together for Dadar Union for several years and Gavaskar has openly acknowledged that he benefited immensely from Patilrsquos guidanceVithal lsquoMarshallrsquo PatilShivaji 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 KulkarniVasant AmladiAjit Tendulkar rates Anna very highly as coach lsquoSomeone who produced a fine batsman like Sandeep Patil has to be very goodrsquo said Ajit who was coached by Anna at Balmohan He however refused to draw comparisons between Anna and Achrekar saying itrsquos unfair to compare the two as they had their own individual styles of coachingAnna Vaidya who coached Test player Sandeep PatilAnna laid tremendous emphasis on physical fitness and match practice His boys vouched for the strenuous fielding sessionsWhen I met Achrekar at his house near Shivaji Park he spoke about Anna with tremendous admiration lsquoI 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 boysrsquo Achrekar saidHigh praiseWhile 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 mediumpace bowler When I asked Achrekar why he rated Amladi so highly he said lsquoAlmost every batsman hits a full toss or a halfvolley to the fence Amladi would hit even goodlength 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 cricketersrsquoAchrekar said among those who benefited from Amladirsquos expert advice were Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Bangar He also gave valuable advice to Azhar and SachinAmladirsquos 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 boyslsquoHomi 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 studentsrsquo said AchrekarMadhav 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 readyHe 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 matchlike batting to his wards Since there were plenty of starttofinish games and two and threeday matches then he instilled the importance of staying at the wicket for long periods in themHe 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 gameTerrific TysonSince 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 coachingHe emigrated to Australia in the early 1960s to become one of the most celebrated coaches in his adopted country He spearheaded the Bombay Cricket Associationrsquos Mafatlal Bowling Scheme and was associated with the Cricket Club of Indiarsquos 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 quickSunnyrsquos guideSunil Gavaskar has credited Thomas Stanley Worthington for changing his technique In Sunny Days Gavaskar writes lsquoI 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 tipsrsquoHe 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 ofRamakant Achrekar mdash Master Blasterrsquos Master by Kunal Purandare is published by Roli Books