51 years of coaching journey ends for veteran coach Hemant Hadkar

Veteran coach Hemant Hadkar shows a cricketer how to play a hook shot during a coaching session at Dadkar Maidan in Matunga. Hadkar was felicitated by his students on Wednesday. PIC/SURESH KARKERA

"THIS was a very loose ball, you should have hit it for four."
"This was a good ball too. You should have driven it, but you played uppishly."
"Against a fast bowler, your footwork should be quicker."
"That's better, but you were still a fraction late. Your left-hand grip (top hand) should be firm; use your bottom hand well while trying to drive the ball."

Instructions from Matunga Gymkhana veteran coach Hemant Hadkar, 89, flew thick and fast while observing Gargi Bandekar, 14, in the nets at Dadkar Maidan on Wednesday. Those who know him well reckon these are the very same instructions that helped many a player on the Mumbai cricket scene. He's been at it for 51 years, over which he taught and groomed names like Dilip Vengsarkar, Rohan Gavaskar, Jatin Paranjape and Guru Gupte, the India schoolboy cricketer, who was part of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy-winning side in 1980-81. Women cricketers too who have benefited from Hadkar's coaching.

Ex-India captain Vengsarkar

"I just wanted to pass on my knowledge of this game to kids. I would like to continue for another couple of years, but I don't know whether my health will permit me to do so," Hadkar, who was employed by Kohinoor Mills, told mid-day. The fact that Hadkar recently went past his half century mark in coaching was not lost on his grateful students, who organised a felicitation function for their coach at Shivaji Park on Thursday evening. In attendance were Vengsarkar, former Test opener Madhav Apte, the father-son pair of Vasu and Jatin Paranjape, his other students Dr Shailesh Shrikhande and Amit Gadkari, who flew down from Dubai.

Mumbai Cricket Association were represented by joint secretaries, Dr PV Shetty and Dr Unmesh Khanvilkar. "When Hadkar sir coached our school team (King George), we won the Giles Shield. He guided me on how to adjust my head while playing the hook shot to a bouncer," recalled Vengsarkar. Hadkar couldn't help turning back the clock to the time he took his first steps in the game. "I was Vinoo Mankad's favourite student. He liked my off-break bowling and batting, but got very upset when he learnt that I was selected for the Bombay Schools team as a wicketkeeper.

It was a blunder on my part not to have told him that I was going for those trials. After I got picked and went to his nets, he ignored me. Once the nets were completed, he called me aside and gave me a dressing down. I went to a corner and cried, but I have very high regards for Vinoobhai. He had my best interests at heart. Whatever I am today, it is because of him. Even after returning from the 1947-48 tour of Australia where was a hero, he coached us," said Hadkar, who is extremely proud of his 76 for New Hind SC against Mankad's Sunder CC at Matunga in 1948. "I remember batting with a Stuart Surridge bat which was gifted to me by DD Hindlekar, brought from his 1946 tour of England. I was just 16 and remember being not out on 37 at lunch and then scoring 76 against an attack that consisted the great Dattu Phadkar.

Hadkar's close friend was the late Vijay Manjrekar, who nicknamed him George Headley after the great West Indies batsman. "I should have played for Mumbai, but I have no regrets. I think I was born at the wrong time as in those days, it was very difficult to get into that side," said Hadkar.Recalling his early days of coaching, Hadkar said: "Dilip (Vengsarkar) played for Matunga Gymkhana where the coaching fee was Rs.1.50 per month. I requested Harish Desai, a businessman, to pay his fees while Guru's (Gupte) were borne by another businessman called Nagesh Pai. When Dilip scored his third Test hundred at Lord's in 1986, I told him while everyone refers to him as Colonel, I will call him Lord Vengsarkar. It was Hadkar who later recommended the classy batsman for Dadar Union.

Hadkar cannot forget the encouragement given to him by veteran coach Vasu Paranjape. "His help was immense. Had it not been for Vasu I would never have conducted my evening nets. I can never forget his contribution," he said.
Hadkar coached former India international Rohan Gavaskar as a 12-year-old kid and felt he would have been better off had he not played Ranji Trophy cricket for Bengal. "Rohan was very keen and batted beautifully. He should have played longer," said Hadkar.

He rued the poor approach of the current generation of young players: "About 80 per cent of them come here to pass time; they are not serious and passionate. It could well be a changing trend as there is the burden of studies too."
No messing around with Hadkar

Hemant Hadkar also contributed to women's cricket. India cricketers like Anjali Pendharkar, Vrinda Bhagat, Shobha Pandit, Chandrika Kenia and Meena Thakkar were groomed by him. He managed the West Zone team during a Rani Jhansi tournament in Kanpur during the early 1970s. "A girl played a rash shot and was clean bowled against North Zone off the first delivery in the innings. That was declared a no-ball. Next, she played similarly and lost her wicket so I dropped her for the next game against South Zone.

"There were eight Mumbai girls in that West Zone team and they told me that they were not going to play the next match in protect. They insisted so I told them that it's always good to lose gracefully rather than win disgracefully. I told the local officials to book the return train tickets for these Mumbai girls. After a while, they came to me, apologised and agreed to play. I replaced her with young Shubhangi Kulkarni (who went on to play for India) and she made her West Zone debut at the age of 14. Shubhangi took six for 44 runs and scored an unbeaten 46 in that match," recalled Hadkar.

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