Happy Teachers Day: 5 Mentors Who Shaped Today’s Cricket Legends

Virat Kohli and his coach, Rajkumar Sharma [x] Virat Kohli and his coach, Rajkumar Sharma [x]

Teachers day, a day when we remember all our Gurus, who have played an important role in shaping our careers. September 5th marks a day when every student gets an opportunity to thank their respective teachers, for all the knowledge they have passed onto the students.

Just like in school, we have teachers in cricket, who have helped shape life of many cricketers. We have heard stories of how Sachin Tendulkar was guided in his early days by mentor Ramakant Achrekar. We have also learnt about how Yograj Singh became an integral part of son Yuvraj Singh's cricketing career.

So, on this Teachers Day, we look at 5 mentors who have shaped the cricketing careers of today's legends.

Ramakant Achrekar- Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar and Ramakant Achrekar Sachin Tendulkar and Ramakant Achrekar

A young Sachin Tendulkar honed his cricketing skills under the astute guidance of Ramakant Achrekar. The great coach, saw a potential in Sachin and decided to take him under his wings.

It started as a student-mentor relationship, but over the years, Sachin became a part of Ramakant Achrekar's family, and the great India batter was like a son to him. Unfortunately in 2019, Achrekar died of organ ailments, but created a legacy, unmatched by anyone.

Keshav Banerjee-MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni and coach Keshav Banerjee MS Dhoni and coach Keshav Banerjee

We have all seen the movie - MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. MS Dhoni was always attracted towards Football and wanted to be a goalkeeper. However, once Keshav Banerjee saw him keeping in a Football practice, and decided to try him out in cricket.

Initially MSD was reluctant to work with him as he was always attracted towards Football, but once he accepted the proposal, the rest as they say is history.

MS Dhoni became arguably the greatest captain of India and won numerous accolades, not only at the international, but also in IPL, winning five titles with CSK.

Rajkumar Sharma- Virat Kohli

Kohli and his coach, Rajkumar Sharma Kohli and his coach, Rajkumar Sharma

The way Virat Kohli plays cricket, all the credit has to go to his childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma. Without his guidance, Kohli wouldn't have been a megastar, which he is today. Kohli's father passed away at a young age, and his dream was to see his son play at the international stage. 

A young Kohli had lost his way after his father's death, but it was Rajkumar Sharma, who motivated his prodigy to fulfil his father's last wish. Kohli worships his coach, and has credited Rajkumar Sharma for all his success.

Dinesh Lad-Rohit Sharma

Rohit and his coach, Dinesh Lad Rohit and his coach, Dinesh Lad

Just like Rajkumar Sharma mentored Kohli, Dinesh Lad should get the credit of shaping Rohit Sharma's career.

Rohit was always known as a talented cricketer, who was cut from a different cloth. But to nurture the talent, you need a sharp mind, and Dinesh Lad was just that. Rohit's talent was spotted by Lad in a tournament in 1999. The coach saw a spark and decided to take the raw talent of Rohit under his wings, and today, he is a successful cricketer and the captain of the Indian team.

Not only Rohit, but Lad is known to nurture several talents on the streets of Mumbai, including the Indian all-rounder, Shardul Thakur.

Yograj Singh-Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh with his father/coach, Yograj Singh Yuvraj Singh with his father/coach, Yograj Singh

A father-son relation filled with a lot of turmoil. This is not your normal story of a loving father and a caring son. Yograj's obsession of turning his son, Yuvraj into a successful cricketer took a toll on Yuvraj's mental health. The former all-rounder was not interested in cricket in his early days, but was more inclined towards Badminton, but Yograj was against the sport and wanted his son to pursue cricket.

Yograj played just a solitary Test in his career, but wanted his son to outplay everyone and make a name for himself. The treatment which Yuvi received from his father in the early days were harsh, but someway or the other, it shaped his cricketing career and made him a better player, something which even the former cricketer, Yuvraj agrees upon.