Test XI comprising Ramakant Achrekar’s elite students

Ramakant Achrekar is one of the most renowned coaches in Mumbai, having mentored many players who went on to represent the city and the country.

Ramakant Achrekar is one of the most renowned coaches in Mumbai, having mentored many players who went on to represent the city and the country. His name is often mentioned when one talks about the great Sachin Tendulkar, but Achrekar has also produced many other players. Nishad Pai Vaidya picks a Dream Team of Achrekar students who went on to represent India in Tests.

 

1.  Sanjay Bangar

Sanjay Bangar was the quintessential, hard-working cricketer. Following a long toil in domestic cricket, he was picked in the Indian team in 2001 as an all-rounder. Although he started off as a middle-order batsman, he was made to open the batting later, where his knock of 68 against England in the Headingley Test was crucial in setting the platform for an Indian victory. Those outings classify him as an opener for this Dream Team. Since his retirement in 2013, Bangar has turned to coaching and has tasted some success with Kings XI Punjab. He is also one of the coaches for Team India. He may not have had a long international career, but looks set to make a mark in coaching.

 

2.  Lalchand Rajput

Lalchand Rajput was one of the best openers in the country during the mid-1980s, but he managed to play only two Tests and four One-Day Internationals (ODIs). A typical Mumbai cricketer, Rajput was known for his khadoos approach to the game while opening the batting. He too turned to coaching post retirement and handled the India A sides until the recent past. His biggest moment in coaching came when India lifted the ICC World T20 2007.

 

3.  Vinod Kambli

Vinod Kambli was an exceptionally talented southpaw. When they were together in school at Sharadashram, there was very little to separate Kambli and Tendulkar in terms of talent. Kambli followed Tendulkar in Tests and even got back-to-back double hundreds. But Kambli frittered away all that he had because of his failure to discipline himself. He played just 17 Tests and 104 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), failing to live up to his copious potential.

 

4.  Sachin Tendulkar

A no-brainer at No. 4! The Tendulkar-Achrekar equation can be likened to Arjun and Dronacharyain Mahabharat. From making him change his school to taking him to play on different grounds around Mumbai in a day, Tendulkar became Achrekar’s special mission. It was more than a cricket coach at play; Achrekar was a mentor who selflessly cared for his mentee. Tendulkar wouldn’t have been what he was without Achrekar. And it’s equally fair to say, Achrekar wouldn’t have been as famous had it not been for a student like Tendulkar.

 

5.  Pravin Amre

The man who scored a ton on Test debut against South Africa at Durban was unlucky not to enjoy a long Test career. When Amre found it tough to break in to the Mumbai squad in the late 1980s, Achrekar asked him to join the Railways as that gave him a job and allowed him to play domestic cricket. Although he averaged over 40 in Test cricket, Amre fell off the radar. Today, Amre has walked in Achrekar’s footsteps to become one of the most influential coaches in the country, working with the likes of Robin Uthappa, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina. Speaking to Live Mint, Amre said, “I am very proud of my guru [Ramakant Achrekar], and I tell all my players that whatever I teach them I have learnt from him.”

 

6.  Chandrakant Pandit

Chandrakant Pandit was a wicketkeeper-batsman who played five Tests and 36 ODIs for India. On the domestic front, he was a stalwart having represented Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh and Assam in a 21-year long career. Pandit was a proper batsman, having scored 22 First-Class tons and it was that trade that helped him get into the Indian team. Like many other Achrekar disciples, he is also into coaching. The Achrekar-Pandit tale is also a touching one. Pandit came from a humble family and could not afford to turn to cricket as a young boy. Makarand Waingankar notes that Achrekar went to Pandit’s father and said, “Take these Rs 1000 as salary for this month and I will pay you the same amount from next month. I want him to join Shardashram School.”

 

7.  Sameer Dighe (wicketkeeper)

For the wicketkeeper’s spot, there was a toss-up between Sameer Dighe and Pandit, but since the latter could play as a specialist batsman, the gloves fall upon the former. Dighe played six Tests and 23 ODIs for India in the early 2000s. Dighe was a typical Mumbai cricketer, showing grit and street-smartness. Dighe is also a coach post retirement and had guided Hong Kong during one of the tournaments in 2007.

 

8.  Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar comes in as the all-rounder at No. 8 — a man who has a Test hundred at Lord’s He was a genuine wicket-taker, particularly in one-day cricket, and a useful batsman down the order. Agarkar represented India for nine years, bringing glory at the highest level. He had scored the fastest 50 in ODIs for India, was the fastest to 50 wickets in ODIs, bowled India to victory in the Adelaide Test in 2003 and who can forget that ton at Lord’s in 2002. Agarkar also learnt from Achrekar’s unflinching commitment. During a function, Agarkar narrated an incident where Achrekar reached his house to take him to practice at a time when Mumbai faced violent riots. Agarkar said, “We did some training and I had breakfast at his place. But that incident made me realise the importance of discipline and determination.”

 

9.  Ramesh Powar

An off-spinner in the classical mould, Ramesh Powar would have had a longer international career had his career not coincided with Harbhajan Singh’s. Powar gave the ball copious air, tricking the batsmen in flight. He had a fair run in one-day cricket for India, and was one of the pillars for Mumbai. Not only was he a leading spinner, but he was also a handy batsman. Powar’s brother took him to Achrekar when he was a young boy, but the coach asked them to wait as Ramesh was still young. “After two years, he [Achrekar] told my father and brother to shift me to Sharad ashram. He used to take me from home to practice.” Powar told Karan Thapar in one of the famous Face to Face interviews on BBC.

 

10.  Paras Mhambrey

Paras Mhambrey was an untiring servant of Mumbai cricket, who was an integral part of the string side in the 1990s and the early 2000s. Mhambrey took to cricket after completing his 10th grade and progressed fast under the tutelage of Achrekar. The medium-pacer faced the grind in his early years, devoting most of his time to the sport. Mhambrey finished with 284 First-Class wickets at an average of 24.36. He played two Tests and three ODIs for India. Today, he coaches Vidarbha in domestic cricket and has worked with India A and Mumbai Indians in the past.

 

11.  Balvinder Singh Sandhu

Balvinder Singh Sandhu’s career is defined by that in-swinger that shattered Gordon Greenidge’s woodwork in the 1983 World Cup final. That wouldn’t have happened had Achrekar not advised him to take on medium-pace bowling. “I was an off-spinner, but sir advised me develop my inswinger. He had an eye for talent,”Sandhu recalled during a function. Sandhu played eight Tests and 22 ODIs for India and remains a World Cup hero. He has coached various sides since retirement and runs his academy in Mumbai.
So, how does the balance of the team look like? A tailless batting apart, the above team has four seamers in Agarkar, Mhambrey, Sandhu and Bangar with Powar as the one specialist spinner. For back-up support, the team has the spin of Tendulkar and Rajput.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Mumbai-based cricket journalist and one of the youngest to cover the three major cricketing events — ICC World Cup, World T20 and under-19 World Cup. He tweets as @nishad_45)

 

 

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