New Delhi: The date September 5 is celebrated as Teachers’ Day in India annually on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was the former president of India.
The significance of teacher’s life is not just limited to educational institutions but matters in every other aspect of life for an individual. For a budding sportsperson, his or her first coach is an unsung hero who has played a vital role in shaping their career. From identifying talent to grooming various levels of skillset to imparting guidance, a coach produces a world class athlete.
Here we take a look at some of the renowned coaches who have made some important contributions to the Indian sporting landscape.
1) Ramakant Achrekar
Ramakant Archrekar is known for coaching kids at Dadar’s famous Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is among the most prestigious students to have represent India at the international level of cricket and leave an indelible impression with the bat.
Tendulkar every now and often credits the legendary coach for his mentorship during his childhood. He also lauded the Maharashtra government’s decision to build the late coach’s statue at the Shivaji Park, the same facility where the likes of Vinod Kambli, Chandrakant Pandit, Lalchand Rajput, Ajit Agarkar and Dinesh Lad (Rohit Sharma’s childhood coach) have honed their cricketing skills as a child.
2) Pullela Gopichand
Pullela Gopichand needs no introduction for the work he has done for the development of badminton in the country. A former All England champion himself, Gopichand has nurtured and manufactured world class shuttler at his personal academy in Hyderabad. Both Olympic medallists from the country – Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu (double-Olympic medallist) – brought laurels through their game under the former Indian ace shuttler’s watch.
Interestingly, Gopichand had to mortgage his house in Hyderabad to start his academy, which is now considered as epicenter for promising shuttlers, including para shuttlers, to prepare with advance training facilities.
3) Jaspal Rana
Jaspal Rana’s coaching career came to fruition when his protege Manu Bhaker claimed two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics 2024 last month. As a junior level coach, the former pistol shooter identified the likes of Manu and Saurabh Chaudhary, though the latter has been out of national team reckoning.
Despite their infamous fallout, Manu and Rana reunited as coach-student combination and their partnership forged two Olympic medals for India in the 33rd edition of the Summer Games. Manu credited Rana after the Tokyo Olympics fiasco.
4) Mahavir Singh Phogat
Mahavir Singh Phogat is well known in the wrestling circuit. A coach from Haryana, Mahavir is touted to be the pioneer for women’s wrestling in India. His daughters and niece are famously called as ‘Phogat sisters’. They have represented India at major international competitions and bagging medals. A popular Bollywood film named ‘Dangal’ was made in 2016 on the coaching life of Mahavir Phogat. Superstar Amir Khan played the role of Mahavir in the biopic film.
5) Randhir Singh Sehrawat
Randhir Singh Sehrawat is a prominent coach in the sport of Kabaddi. Known for his open voice when it comes to constructive criticism, Randhir won’t tolerate mistakes and openly calls out players who don’t stick to his plans regardless of their stardom among fans. The likes of India’s current national team captain Pawan Sehrawat, Pardeep Narwal and Bharat Hooda have groomed under Randhir at Bengaluru Bulls in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). Randhir happens to be the only coach to stick with the same franchise for the past 10 seasons of the tournament.
We take a look at some of the renowned coaches who have made some important contributions to the Indian sporting landscape. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
