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Sachin Tendulkar unveiled a memorial of his childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar in Mumbai on Tuesday.
(From left) Sachin Tendulkar, Ramakant Achrekar and Vinod Kambli (File Photo)
Sachin Tendulkar unveiled a memorial of his childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park in Mumbai on Tuesday. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray and former cricketer Vinod Kambli also turned up for the event to honour Achrekar on his 92nd birth anniversary.
During the event, Tendulkar recalled some of his fondest memories with Achrekar. The Master Blaster recounted one particular anecdote when he went to Achrekar’s home and the food he had over there.
“We used to go to his home, were invited by him and his wife, and our favourite diet was mutton curry, pav, lemon and onion. Vishakha used to come and serve us,” recalled Tendulkar.
In 1990, Achrekar received the prestigious Dronacharya Award and was awarded with the Padma Shri in 2010.
Achrekar passed away in January 2019.
Tendulkar recalled how Achrekar was miserly in his praise for notable performances, probably because he did not want his students to become arrogant.
Tendulkar revealed that after leaving the grounds, “he (Achrekar) would give me some money and say, ‘go and grab a vada-pav’, when I realised that I had done something great that day”.
During the event, Tendulkar also got a chance to reunite with his childhood friend Kambli.
Both Tendulkar and Kambli were students of Achrekar.
When asked to speak, Kambli recited a couple of lines of the all-time superhit song, “Sir jo tera chakraye ya dil duba jaye… I love you, Sir.”
While Tendulkar went on to become one of the greatest batsmen ever to grace the game, Kambli had a turbulent stint as a professional cricketer. In ODIs, he represented India 104 times. In Test cricket, he played for India in 17 matches.
