Veteran cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar, widely known for mentoring legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, has died in Mumbai on Wednesday, aged 87. Achrekar had been unwell for a while and had suffered a stroke in 2013, which reduced his mobility, reported ESPNcricinfo.
Achrekar earned widespread praise for work at the Kamnath Cricket Club at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. Apart from Tendulkar, former India players Ajit Agarkar, Chandrakant Pandit, Vinod Kambli and Pravin Amre also trained under him in their early years as junior cricketers.
A special afternoon with the person who taught us so much and made us who we are. His blessings are all we need to kick-off the TMGA Mumbai camps tomorrow. 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/4aMPTPynuc
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 31, 2018
In 1990, Achrekar received the prestigious Dronacharya award for his services to cricket coaching. In 2010, he was conferred with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour in India. As a player, Achrekar played just one first-class match and was also a selector for Mumbai for a brief period.