Mid-day's 44th anniversary special: On board Mumbai’s cricket train

Mumbai cricket is replete with instances of players coming from other states to be part of the cityrsquos reputed cricketing ecosystem Some make it to firstclass cricket some donrsquot And others like Karsan Ghavri who arrived here from Saurashtra in the early 1970s ended up playing for IndiaPlayer migration is not rare What is uncommon is a cricketer shifting to Mumbai to pursue a career in coaching And that what Vidarbharsquos Ankit Tiwari 29 didin 2020Tiwari a former Vidarbha batsman led his state team across all age groupsmdashU14 U16 U19 and U23U25 from 200809 to201617In 2017 he took a sabbatical from the game to handle his father Santoshrsquos construction business after Santosh and his wife Anita met with a road accident ldquoAfter my dad and mum fully recovered I returned to cricket in 2019 The same year I scored three centuries for Majumdar Cricket Club in the lsquoArsquo division of Vidarbha Cricket Associationrsquos Guzder LeaguerdquoSKCA coach Ankit Tiwari right with former Mumbai Ranji Trophywinning coach Sulakshan Kulkarni at the SKCASGCA ground in Shegaon last yearTiwari didnrsquot get carried away with his three centuries didnrsquot believe it was enough to be back in the state squad ldquoBy 2020 Vidarbha had tasted Ranji Trophy success twice and during that time their U19 and U23 cricketers were also doing exceptionally well I performed very well at the club level but the value of runs made by other cricketers in BCCI tournaments was much higherrdquo he admittedWith introspection came pragmatism and then a careerchanging meeting ldquoIn March 2020 I met Sulakshan Kulkarni sir after many years He advised me to concentrate fully on coaching It was a tough decision to take I spent around two weeks thinking and deciding whether I want to continue playing cricket or coach in Mumbai I decided to start my coaching career at the Sulakshan Kulkarni Cricket Academy SKCA in Thanerdquo said TiwariThe initial challenge was to serve at two sister academiesmdash SKCASant Gajanan Cricket Academy at Shegaon in Vidarbharsquos Buldhana district and the Thane set up ldquoI received great support from Sulakshan sir and other coaches like Satish Kulkarni sir and Ramdas Parab sir in Mumbai But it was a different experience altogether in Shegaon because I was overseeing cricketing and administrative aspects all alone at SKCArdquoWhen Mumbai became his sole residence in early 2022 Tiwari indulged in coaching and playing ldquoApart from coaching youngsters I played in the Times Shield lsquoBrsquo Division for DMCC Dharamsi Morarji Chemical Company as a professional I scored 150 and claimed five wickets in my first game against Nirlon Sports ClubldquoMe fully shifted to Mumbai changed a lot of things I enjoyed my coaching more because the group of young players who I coached responded splendidly There are no regrets at all I am thoroughly enjoying grooming budding cricketersrdquo he saidAlso Read Ajit loved shouldering responsibility Former Mumbai cricketer Amit Pagnis on AgarkarApart from enjoying job satisfaction Tiwari is also a relieved man considering his parents were worried how he would go about living in Mumbai COVID19 is never viewed as a blessing for what it did to the world but Tiwari saw a silver lining ldquoThe pandemic was a kind of blessing in disguise for me because I started my new innings with Sulakshan sir during that phaserdquo he saidOn January 17 this year he married Sushma Mishra ldquoAfter my marriage I have been to Nagpur for only three days When you get used to the Mumbai lifestyle staying elsewhere is boring Mumbai keeps you busy all the timerdquo he stressedDwelling on living in Mumbai Tiwari said ldquoCompared to Nagpur itrsquos a very fast life here but I like it Travelling in local trains gives me a different kind of experience and has taught me the value of time management Vedant Ingle my childhood friend works in the corporate sector and stays in Andheri We played together for Vidarbha in all age group teams and our bonding causes us to meet on weekendsrdquoThe differences between his erstwhile residence and the current one are aplenty when it comes to cricketing matters too Mumbai have claimed the Ranji Trophy 41 times while Vidarbha have won it twice in recent years Tiwari shared his observations on both cricketing set ups ldquoI think Vidarbha has more talented cricketers than Mumbai But as far as a positive approach and mentality towards the game are concerned Vidarbha cricketers are far behind their Mumbai counterparts Mumbai is the only place in India where you learn so many things about the game every day Players from Vidarbha have a conservative approach and are satisfied with small achievements Mumbai players always seem hungry for better results The Vidarbha team seem satisfied with two Ranji Trophy titles but even after 41 Ranji trophies in their cabinet Mumbai want more and that is why three to four Mumbai players are in Indiarsquos playing XIrdquoSharing knowledge is at the heart of Tiwarirsquos coaching mantra ldquoWhatever I have learnt from this game I want to teach it to the boys on a daily basis I have not thought about coaching an IPL or Ranji Trophy team but I am sure that if I am guiding cricketers with the right intention and improve their playing standard cricket will reward merdquo he saidTiwarirsquos coaching passion has seen him guide a school team in Mumbai too ldquoApart from our academy SKCA he coached the IES Mulund School team helping them qualify for the U16 Harris Shield Elite Division in 2022 for the first time He played a huge role in them making this graderdquo Kulkarni remarkedNormally players get into the coaching sphere when age prevents them from scoring runs and capturing wickets At 29 Tiwari is relatively a young coach His mentor Kulkarni 56 sees it as a positive ldquoAge is never a criteria for me What is important to me is merit Despite Ankit being young I observed that he was a superb captain and a very good thinker and reader of the game He is a qualified ICC Level1 coach and his involvement in the game is commendable His cool nature and good man management skills also played a key role in shaping him as a coachrdquo said Kulkarni the former Mumbai Ranji Trophy coach and current Tamil Nadu head coachTiwarirsquos cricketing roots are in Vidarbha but his shift to Mumbai has borne fruit Now we look forward to his produce that will enrich city cricketMumbai meri jaanLove about Mumbai PositivityHate about Mumbai TrafficExpectations from Mumbai To prosper in what I am doing and earn some good fortuneDid Mumbai live up to it Absolutely The people and their approach in their day to day life is something every person should learn fromWill it remain forever home Of course I have set a goal for myself to bring my parents here in next three years