When Pranav Dhanawade broke the 1000-run barrier in a single innings on Tuesday, little did he realise the impact his knock would cause. The last 48 hours have been life-changing for Pranav and his family.
With wishes pouring in from across the globe and cricketing legends congratulating him for his tremendous knock --- the first to score 1000 runs in an innings in any level of cricket --- life will never be the same for the son of an autorickshaw driver from suburban Kalyan.
However, his knock has also given his coach Mobin Shaikh the attention he always ran away from.
“His knock has increased the responsibility I have towards my academy and kids tenfold. I was on the verge of retiring after coaching for almost 26 years, and now Pranav has gone and done the unimaginable,” said the 53-year-old Shaikh at an event held at the Dadar Union Cricket Club, where former India captains Dilip Vengsarkar and Ajit Wadekar felicitated the young cricketer.
“It’s the coach who makes players, here the player has made me,’ said Shaikh, who is well known in Mumbai cricket circles, having played as a wicketkeeper-batsman for Central Bank of India and come close to Mumbai Ranji team selection on a few occasions in the 1980s.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s the coach who makes players, here the player has made me,’ said Shaikh, who is well known in Mumbai cricket circles, having played as a wicketkeeper-batsman for Central Bank of India and come close to Mumbai Ranji team selection on a few occasions in the 1980s.
{{/usCountry}}RINGING OFF HOOK
In the past two days, Shaikh has also come under the media spotlight with Pranav. “Journalists from the BBC, The Guardian, Khaleej Times and places such as Oman, South Africa and Sri Lanka have been calling me for interviews. I even got a coaching offer from somebody in Sri Lanka. My phone has crashed thanks to the number of calls and messages I have received since Pranav made 1009,” said Shaikh.
However, Shaikh, who has been coaching free of cost for the Mumbai Cricket Association in places such as Bhiwandi, Kalyan since 1992, is not too happy with the publicity.
“Once the world started recognising me, I have lost myself. My routine was to coach children, be with the family and go for my namaz, among other things. My daily life has gone for a toss and things will not be the same for a while.”