Sachin Tendulkar’s childhood coach and Dronacharya award-winner Ramakant Vithal Achrekar, who died due to age-related ailments, was cremated here on Thursday. Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, Balwinder Singh Sandhu and Chandrakant Pandit attended the funeral. His body was kept at Shivaji Park, where he coached aspiring cricketers and then taken to a nearby crematorium.The noted cricket coach breathed his last here on Wednesday at 86.
According to a family member, he had been battling old age-related ailments for the past few days. Condoling the demise of his childhood coach, Tendulkar had, on Wednesday, hailed his coach’s contribution to his career.
“Cricket in heaven will be enriched with the presence of Achrekar sir,” Tendulkar said in a statement.
Taking to Twitter, Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) expressed its condolences, saying, “Deepest sympathy on the passing of Dronacharya award-winning guru Shri Ramakant Achrekar. Not only did he produce great cricketers, but also trained them to be fine human beings. His contribution to Indian Cricket has been immense.”
Mumbai Cricket association (MCA) also took to Twitter to extend its grief, they wrote: “Ramakant Achrekar Sir passes away. Deepest Condolences to the family from Mumbai Cricket Association.”
Achrekar, who was born in 1932, started playing cricket in 1943. In 1945, he played club cricket for New Hind Sports Club. He also played for Young Maharashtra XI, Gul Mohar Mills and Mumbai Port.
The Dronacharya Awardee coach also played one First-Class cricket match for All-India State Bank against Hyderabad in the Moin-ud-Dowla tournament in 1963-64.
He was also a selector of the Mumbai cricket team.
He was a recipient of the Dronacharya Award (1990) and the Padma Shri (2010).
He founded Kamath Memorial Cricket Club at Shivaji Park, Dadar, which is currently run by his daughter Kalpana Murkar and Deepak Murkar, son-in-law.
His only biography, Ramakant Achrekar: Master Blaster’s Mater, came in 2016 . It was penned down by journalist Kunal Purandare.
In 2010, then Indian cricket team coach Gary Kirsten presented him the ‘Lifetime achievement’ award for his precious contribution to Indian cricket. Fittingly Tendulkar had bagged the sportsman-of-the-year award.
Besides Tendulkar, Achrekar also coached some prominent Indian cricketers such as Vinod Kambli, Pravin Amre, Sameer Dighe and Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Ramesh Power among others.