Tendulkar’s coach Achrekar dies at 86

MUMBAI: Ramakant Achrekar, the coach who channeled Sachin Tendulkar’s cricketing pursuits by turning him from an aspiring fast bowler to a world-beating batsman, has died in Mumbai at the age of 86.

Achrekar had been unwell for a while and had suffered from reduced mobility after a stroke in 2013.Achrekar’s academy in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park area churned out several others who played for India, including Vinod Kambli, Praveen Amre, Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar.

It was Achrekar who suggested to a 11-year old Tendulkar that he switch schools - from Bandra’s New English School to Sharadashram Vidya Mandir - to better his cricketing pursuits.

As a player, Achrekar featured in a solitary first-class game for State Bank of India against a Hyderabad Cricket Association XI in 1960. He also briefly served as a Mumbai selector.In 1990, Achrekar was conferred with the prestigious Dronacharya award for his services to cricket coaching. In 2010, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian honours in India.

“My actual cricket started when I was 11. My brother spotted the spark in me and then he took me to [Ramakant] Achrekar sir. Those three to four years under him were really important for my development,” Tendulkar once said of his mentor. “He would hide behind trees to see our games, and then point out the errors later on. We would have fun but it was guarded.

“He introduced me to was the concept of match temperament. The reason my brother [Ajit Tendulkar] took me to him [Achrekar] was solely because he made all his students play as many practice matches as possible.”