Legendary Indian coach Ramakant Achrekar – who is credited with honing the skills of a young Sachin Tendulkar – passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87.
Achrekar was an icon of Mumbai cricket. While Tendulkar was his most high-profile protege, Achrekar mentored players like Vinod Kambli, Ajit Agarkar, Chandrakant Pandit, Sanjay Bangar, Pravin Amre and Ramesh Powar who made a name for themselves in various capacities.
Achrekar – who played only one first-class game – rose to prominence in the 1980s when several of his students like Tendulkar and Kambli started to shine in Mumbai’s local cricket.
Achrekar was conferred with the Dronacharya Award in 1990 – the highest sports coaching honour in India. Then in 2010, he was awarded the Padma Shri – the fourth highest civilian honour in India.
