 "Suryakumar Yadav's childhood coach has been forced to look for a new job after losing his 24-year-old job. PTI")
Suryakumar Yadav is set to embark on a mega journey as India’s new full-time T20 captain when the series against Sri Lanka gets underway on 27 July. The right-handed batter pipped Hardik Pandya to be named as the new skipper, replacing Rohit Sharma after his retirement. While SKY will be writing a new and glorious chapter in his career, his childhood coach Ashok Aswalkar has currently lost his main source of income and has been forced to work in an indoor turf for just Rs 10,000.
Aswalkar, 61, who worked for over two decades as a coach and curator at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre ground in Chembur’s Anushakti Nagar was allegedly recently removed from his role where he earned Rs 41,000 per month. He is now coaching at an indoor turf.
“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 Rs 26,000 per month for the groundsman job and Rs 15,000 for coaching from a coaching agency,” Aswalkar told Mid-day.
Aswalkar revealed that he did not even inform his family members about losing his job as this could result in panic in the family.
“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 added.
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Aswalkar shared that things went downhill at his workplace after he took a break to attend his nephew’s wedding in 2023.
“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,” said Aswalkar.
“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. 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.”
The head of ASMC, Ramakant Sahu, gave a different account, saying that Aswalkar had vanished in the middle of a tournament and that the organisation is willing to give him his old job.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
New cricket academy
Aswalkar, however, has already planned to start a new academy with the help of India T20 captain Suryakumar.
“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 revealed.