Top 10 coaches who found India’s biggest cricket icons, featuring Kohli, Dhoni and more
These coaches, often working without much media attention or spotlights at local grounds or academies, play a big role in producing legendary cricketers.
3. Sachin Tendulkar - Late Ramakant Achrekar
The late Ramakant Achrekar played the role of a cricket coach, mentor, and father figure to many in the Mumbai circuit, but his most famous and successful student was Sachin Tendulkar. Based in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, Achrekar trained several future Indian cricketers, including Vinod Kambli, Ajit Agarkar, and Pravin Amre. But his biggest contribution to Indian cricket was spotting a young boy with talent.
It was Achrekar who told 11-year-old Sachin to switch schools to improve his game. One of his famous drills was placing a one-rupee coin on the stumps and challenging bowlers to dismiss Sachin. If they succeeded, the coin was theirs. If not, Sachin got to keep it. Those coins became Tendulkar's early moments of appreciation. He has also been honoured with the Dronacharya Award in 1990 and the Padma Shri in 2010. Later in 2024, Sachin himself unveiled a memorial of his ‘Guru’ at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park.
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