Published: Oct 05, 2013, 01:18 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 25, 2014, 01:33 AM (IST)
Shishir Hattangadi (blue T-shirt), a former Mumbai Ranji captain, during a recent visit to Vithal Patil’s house in Dadar. “Marshall” Patil was Hattangadi’s coach during his days in Podar College (Photo courtesy: Shishir Hattangadi).
On October 5 i.e. World Teachers’ Day, Sarang Bhalerao profiles the life of Vithal ‘Marshall’ Patil, who was one of the best cricket coaches in Mumbai and whose discipline, dedication and passion has been instrumental in creating gems for Indian cricket.
If Sunil Gavaskar was an accomplished opener against quality pace and movement from the start of his glittering international career, it had a lot to do with the hours and hours at the nets facing Vithal “Marshall” — a man who prodigiously moved the ball both ways with very little change of action. The combination of the pupil and master was brilliant alchemy — one having the rage for perfection, and the other the passion of a selfless and devoted guru. Patil not only directly contributed to Gavaskar’s epic place in cricket history, but was also indirectly responsible in changing the face of Indian cricket through the pioneering efforts of his star student.
In the years that followed, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjrekar, among many others, also prospered under the tutelage of Patil. The above troika were star performers for Mumbai and went on to become vital cogs in the Indian cricket team.
Says former Mumbai captain Shishir Hattangadi, another Mumbai stalwart to come from the Podar College that produced talent by conveyor belt methods under coach Patil: “His [Patil’s] style of coaching was such that he gave enough practice for the player to gain confidence before the game.”
When Hattangadi came to Matunga’s Podar College from South Bombay’s St Mary’s School, it was a big cultural change for him. “[Patil sir] wanted his wards to do well. He would be there for us every time. The passion in his coaching was visible as he personally took a lot of interest during the practice sessions.”
Girish Jawle, who is Level One coach of Mumbai Cricket Association and who currently coaches Mahim Juvenile Sports Club says, “He [Patil] looked after the overall development of his wards.”
Jawle recalled how Patil bowled incessant line and length and probed batsmen with copious and prodigious variations. Once Patil, who was swinging the ball at will, was not allowed to wear full sleeves in at a game in Pune since the organisers felt there was something fishy!
Patil played the Kanga League for more than 40 years. He is the league’s highest wicket-taker with 759 wickets.
Patil was fiercely loyal to his club Dadar Union. The games between Shivaji Park Gymkhana and Dadar Union were much-awaited each season. The yardstick for greatness for a player according to Patil was how well you did against Dadar Union. It was a gargantuan task to either score a century against the club or take five wickets in an innings.
Last month Hattangadi and Sanjay Manjrekar met Patil at his Dadar residence. Hattangadi recalled that meeting: “He [Patil] remembered a lot of things… talked about the changing trends in cricket.”
In 2008, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recommended Patil’s name for the Dronacharya Award, but that honour is yet to come his way.
According to UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation] World Teachers’ Day represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development. But for a man whose nets were the nursery of many India greats, sadly remains unsung — almost forgotten.
(Sarang Bhalerao hails from a family of doctors, but did his engineering. He then dumped a career in IT with Infosys to follow his heart and passion and became a writer with CricketCountry. A voracious reader, Sarang aspires to beat Google with his knowledge of the game! You can follow him on Twitter here)
