CHENNAI: Even the God of cricket bowed down in front of him. It was only after Sachin Tendulkar’s swansong at Wankhede Stadium on November 16, 2013, that the man who made the legendary batsman who he was said, “Well done”; a compliment that Tendulkar had — in his own words during his farewell speech at the ground — yearned for 24 years.

Such was Ramakant Achrekar’s passion for attaining perfection. Shivaji Park — Kamath Memorial Cricket Club, to be precise — in Dadar, Mumbai, may have Ibeen witness to the formative year of one of India’s biggest cricketing icons, but the list doesn’t just stop there — Vinod Kambli, Ajit Agarkar, Chandrakant Pandit, Pravin Amre — who has been carrying forward Achrekar’s legacy by helping the club — and numerous other budding talents, all embodying the khadoos mantra of cricket.

A Dronacharya Award — in 1990 — may underscore his nous as the man who could chisel cricketing talent. But, Achrekar’s methodology for doing so wasn’t just limited to nets and technical nitty-gritty. He was there behind his mentees, constantly pushing them so that they would become better.

Tendulkar has driven around on his scooter from one match to another every day for the sole purpose of steeling a budding teenager with more match-time. But his bottom-handed grip  — one that would eventually catch the nation’s attention for both its uniqueness and the flawless straight drives it would go on to produce — was let be.

He was not that accomplished a player — only one first-class match for all-India State Bank against Hyderabad in the 1963-64 Moin-ud-Dowla Tournament. He had even donned the selector’s role for Mumbai. But Achrekar didn’t need to be all that. He was a coach that the city’s talent required. Achrekar’s approach may have been taskmaster-like, but the lessons learnt by those under his tutelage were seared into their memory. On Teachers’ Day last year, Tendulkar had narrated a personal anecdote, one that aptly sums up the firm-but-correct preceptor that Achrekar was.

“Back in school, I used to play only for the junior team. Our seniors were playing the Harris Shield finals at Wankhede. Achrekar sir had organised a practice match for me. He’d asked me to go there after school and bat at No 4.

That used to be my training. But I sat at Wankhede, watching the final and cheering the seniors. After the match, I saw Achrekar sir and he asked me how many runs I’d scored. I told him I never went to play because I wanted to cheer the seniors."

“Then he scolded me a lot, in front of everybody. He said that I did not need to clap for others and that I take care of my game and do something so that one day the world will clap for me.

That was the biggest lesson of my life. After that, I never missed another match.”Those claps at Wankhede Stadium in 2013 were as much for Achrekar as they were for Tendulkar.