On Guru Purnima, we bring you six Indian coaches who have made a huge contribution to Indian sports.
On the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima, like everywhere, Sachin Tendulkar paid a visit to his coach and guru Ramakant Achrekar or ‘Archrekar sir’ as he is well known in India. Tendulkar tweeted a couple of pictures with him with a caption, “Guru Purnima is the day we remember those who have taught us to be better versions of ourselves.”
On this occasion, we bring you six Indian coaches who have made a huge contribution to Indian sports.
1. He is widely known as ‘Achrekar Sir’
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Not everyone is aware that Achrekar’s cricket journey began even before India’s independence. He started playing cricket in 1943 - played club cricket for New Hind Sports Club and also for Young Maharashtra XI, Gul Mohar Mills and Mumbai Port in In 1945. Although he has played just one First-Class game, he is one of the greatest coaches in India solely for giving the country their beloved son – Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. PC: Twitter
2. SM Arif – Gopichand’s Guru
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The current generation only associates Pullela Gopichand with badminton coaching. But, they should know that the man who brought Gopichand into the limelight was his coach SM Arif. Under his coaching, Gopichand won the All England Open Championship in 2001. PC: YouTube
3. India’s No. 1 badminton coach—Pullela Gopichand
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While Gopichand became just the second Indian to win the All England Open championship after Prakash Padukone, it was the former who has taken Indian badminton further to the next level. Under his training and guidance, India have produced two Olympic medallists in singles category – Saina Nehwal (bronze, 2012) and PV Sindhu (silver, 2016). PC: AFP
4. The man who gave India Sushil Kumar - Satpal Singh
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He might not be known much for his gold medal in the 1982 Asian Games or bronze medal in the 1972 Asian Games, he is widely known as India’s ace wrestler Sushil Kumar’s coach. The latter already has two Olympic medals to his name – bronze (2008) and silver (2012) in 66Kg freestyle wrestling. Satpal Singh has also coached the India’s another Olympic medallist wrestler, Yogeshwar Dutt. PC: Twitter
5. The athlete who gave up everything for a boxing academy - Jagdish Singh
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In 2007, the Indian government awarded Jadgish Singh with the prestigious Dronocharya Award for his massive contribution to Indian boxing. Jadgish, as an athlete, withdrew his provident fund and mortgaged his home and land to obtain four lakhs from Gramin Bank just to establish his dream boxing club. It was his club and training that gave India the Olympic bronze medalist Vijender Singh.
6. The Coaching Wall - Rahul Dravid
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Among the current coaches in India, Dravid stands out for his role with the India Under-19 and India A sides. He rejected BCCI’s offer of being a part of the advisory committee along with his former teammates Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Instead, he took up the responsibility of strengthening India’s bench strength for the betterment of the future of Indian cricket. Under his coaching, India Under-19 finished as runners-up in the 2016 World Cup before they lifted trophy earlier this year. PC: PTI
