Published: Jun 15, 2014, 11:37 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 15, 2014, 11:38 AM (IST)
By Abhijit Banare
Jun 15, 2014
Ravi Shastri joined the cricketing fraternity in paying glowing tributes to famed coach VS Patil, who passed away on Tuesday. At a condolence meeting held by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Saturday, Shastri said: “Without his [VS Patil] confidence in my abilities, I wouldn’t have been the person who I am today. It all started very early in 1978 at Podar College when I met Patil sir. His style of coaching was very subtle and different from all other coaches. It would be just one-liners — a word here or word there. The emphasis for him was batting, bowling and fielding. He ensured whoever went out to bat faced the best bowlers. He would pick some bowler from Ruia College. He would spot the batsman’s talent and see what he would need to face to move ahead. His dedication was brilliant. For four decades, day in and day out he used to be there ready at 6.45 in the morning,” recalled Shastri.
“He was a master with the new ball. To get the ball out his hands was impossible. By the time he reached the ground in the morning, the ball was well prepared. There will be shine on one side,” he added. Shastri recalled memories of Patil as the disciplinarian, kind-hearted individual. “He was affectionate and concerned about his students like a parent.
Recalling an incident of Patil’s discipline, Shastri said, “We had a player called Sanjay Koli. He kept coming late. One day he came late and sir asked him for the reason. He said he had gone for an ad shoot of a leg wear. For the next two weeks he did not bat, did not bowl, he was made to do just fielding. ”
Shastri added, “It’s unfortunate that we lost two legends in a short span. First there was Madhav Mantri, a very similar disciplinarian like Patil sir. Let’s learn and rejoice the person who gave his life for cricket.”
