22 July,2024 08:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Suryakumar with his first coach Ashok Aswalkar at the Anushaktinagar Sports Management Committee Ground in Chembur last year
You may have seen Suryakumar Yadav's childhood coach Ashok Aswalkar featuring in the Cadbury advertisement during IPL-17 as part of the confectionery giant's special campaign on coaches who made the stars.
But the story of India's full-time T20 captain's early mentor Aswalkar, 61, hasn't been sweet of late. Last December, he was removed from his curator and coach job at the Anushaktinagar Sports Management Committee (ASMC) ground in Chembur, where he served for 24 years, earning Rs 26,000 per month and Rs 15,000 for his respective roles.
He now coaches at an indoor turf in Chembur which fetches him R10,000 per month, attendees depending. "I joined the BARC [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre] ground in 1989-90 and was assisting Jagannath Phanse as a groundsman and coach. I started at a monthly salary of R3,000 and when they [ASMC] discontinued my services in December 2023, I was getting R26,000 per month for the groundsman job and R15,000 for coaching from a coaching agency," Aswalkar told mid-day on Sunday.
Though the television commercial gave him joy and the world came to know of him, very few knew that he was enduring his life's biggest crisis. "I didn't even tell my family members that I had lost my job. I just messaged Surya to say that I lost my job and told him who was responsible for this damage. Surya in response stopped entertaining that particular person," Aswalkar said.
He related the chain of events. "I went to attend my nephew's wedding in Malvan with prior intimation. They [ASMC] asked me to meet them on my return on December 31. I did so, but no one spoke to me during my three-hour visit. I was then told via a message to return home and I would be called again. This was humiliating. When I was told to visit the place a week later, no one met me again. After one month I got a message at my home that few [ASMC] members wanted to meet me at the ground. I met and spoke with Mr [Ramakant] Sahu and two other committee members there. They asked me questions and listened carefully to what I said.
Also Read: Childhood coach Ashok Aswalkar opens up on Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy appointment
"The committee members said they will get in touch with me soon, but till date, no one has communicated with me. The last salary I drew was Rs 26,911 in December 2023.
Meanwhile, ASMC in-charge Sahu told mid-day: "Ashok was working with us till last season. But something happened - some confusion on his part and some other part. We tried to continue with him but then he was unhappy for some reason and suddenly disappeared in the middle of a cricket tournament. Ashok said he is going to his hometown for some work, but for three to four weeks he was not responding to phone calls."
Sahu claimed that someone had misguided Aswalkar and ASMC would be "very happy" to continue with him.
"In fact, we will be honoured to hire him as a coach. He was here for years, decades. We are trying to convince him to just be with us and next season - from October - he will get a full-time curator-cum-coaching job," said Sahu.
But a hurt Aswalkar seems to have other plans. "I am coaching youngsters in an indoor turf facility at Chembur now. I spoke with Surya about starting a cricket academy and he gave me a positive reply. We both want to provide coaching to needy youngsters. Money was never a priority for us, and it will not be in the future," Aswalkar signed off.
Surya now has a new task as India's full-time T20 captain and his dear coach Aswalkar is looking at a new challenge as well. Hopefully, it will end up being sweet.
