Sachin Tendulkar paid a heart-touching tribute to the late cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar on social media. On the occasion of Achrekar’s birth anniversary, Tendulkar recalled the childhood coach he had.
Tendulkar tweeted by saying, “He not only taught us cricket but instilled the belief in us that one day we’ll play for India if we play with sincerity and honesty. You can’t ever thank someone enough for a gift like this. Wish you were here with us, Achrekar Sir. Always in our hearts,” he concluded.
Achrekar, who helped Tendulkar grow in the Mumbai cricket circuit, started coaching Tendulkar at the age of 11. Several times, the former Indian cricketer expressed his gratitude to Achrekar for helping him succeed. The former coach was conferred the Padma Shri in 2010 and the Dronacharya award in 1990. After a long illness, he passed away in 2019 at the age of 87. Achrekar coached numerous players who played for India and was one of Mumbai’s most renowned coaches. Along with Tendulkar, he also coached Lalchand Rajput, Chandrakanth Pandit, Ajit Agarkar, Vinod Kambli, Pravin Amre, and Ramesh Powar. Achrekar was invited by Tendulkar to attend his final international match at the Wankhede stadium in 2013 when India played against West Indies. Tendulkar specifically referred to his coach during his retirement speech following the match.
Sachin Tendulkar is among the greatest cricketers in the history of the sport and the only player in history to score 100 international centuries. The legend has represented team India in 200 Test matches, 463 ODIs, and 1 T20I. Interestingly, the master blaster was part of the team that won India’s first 50-over World Cup trophy in 28 years in 2011. Post retirement, he has been a mentor for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
