Sachin Tendulkar, MNS chief Raj Thackeray unveil legendary cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar memorial in Mumbai | Watch

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday unveiled legendary coach Ramakant Achrekar memorial at the iconic Shivaji Park in Mumbai.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray was also present on the occasion.

“Today is a very special day as we pay tribute to someone who gave so much to cricket and my life. I would be extremely happy if you join me as we unveil Achrekar Sir’s memorial on his birth anniversary and honour his incredible legacy,” said Sachin in a post on X.

The memorial, near Gate No 5, had got the green signal from the Maharashtra government in August this year.

Ramakant Achrekar, who coached several Indian players, passed away in January 2019.

In 1990, Achrekar was honoured with the prestigious Dronacharya Award. Wherea, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2010.

Players coached by Achrekar

Ramnath Parkar, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Lalchand Rajput, Chandrakant Pandit, Amre, Sameer Dighe, Vinod Kambli, Sanjay Bangar, Paras Mhambrey, Ramesh Powar, Ajit Agarkar and Tendulkar are among the players coached by Ramakant Achrekar who went on to play for India.

‘Motivating factor for next generation’

Last week, former India cricketer Pravin Amre said that the memorial will serve as a motivating factor for the next generation of cricketers.

Speaking to PTI, Amre said that for them, it's a really, really big moment, simply because they all know the contribution he made for them. “Not only as cricketers, our careers as coaches have also been successful because of our guru Achrekar sir.”

Amre said that Achrekar never compromised with hard work. He made sure that our performance speaks. He taught us about respecting the game, that's the biggest thing. "He lived a very simple life. Come rain or sunshine, he was there at Shivaji Park 365 days for so many years. He has got a special place in every player's heart."