Shivalkar, 84, claimed 589 wickets from 124 first-class matches
Pravin Amre
Former India Test batsman Pravin Amre, who was Mumbai’s head coach when Padmakar Shivalkar was the chairman of the senior selection committee, believes the city’s cricket ecosystem has lost a visionary selector with the passing of the legendary left-arm spinner at his home on Monday.
“When I was the Mumbai Ranji team’s head coach [2007-08, 2008-09] and Paddy sir was the chairman of the selectors, we tried to build a good team. His vision was always to tap players of the next level and back those players throughout,” Amre told mid-day on Monday.
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Shivalkar, 84, claimed 589 wickets from 124 first-class matches. “A disciplined life was the key aspect of his personality not only during his playing days but also later during his coaching phase. When we met recently at the Wankhede Stadium, the late [Milind] Rege sir called Paddy sir an all-time great of Mumbai cricket. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t get a Test cap,” added Amre. Mumbai’s left-arm spinner Shams Mulani, 27, who has 234 scalps in 50 first-class games, revealed that he became a bowler only thanks to Shivalkar.
“I never thought I would be a left-arm spinner before Paddy sir’s guidance. As a nine-year-old when I would go to Shivaji Park Gymkhana Academy for practice, I was never given batting because of my short stature. So, I would simply watch Paddy sir bowl at the nets. He encouraged me to bowl and that’s how I took up left-arm spin. He thus played a very important role in my younger days,” said Mulani.
“Paddy sir taught me the finer nuances of spin bowling, like attacking a single stump, rocking back before delivering the ball and bowling consistently in one area. I’m fortunate to have learnt from such a great spinner,” added Mulani.
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