Dubai: Padmakar Shivalkar, one of India’s finest left-arm spinners who had to live in the shadow of the legendary Bishan Singh Bedi, passed on invaluable tips to a group of trainees from the UAE’s Maxtalent Academy during their recent visit to Mumbai.
Shivalkar’s career coincided with that of Bedi, who was preferred as the lone left-arm spinner for the Indian team, but the former never allowed himself to be weighed down by that setback and continued to produce match-winning spells for Mumbai. From 124 first class matches, he bagged 589 wickets and won laurels for his consistency and retired only at the age of 50.
After his playing days, he became a renowned coach passing on invaluable tips to youngsters. When Maxtalent Academy toured Mumbai recently, they met up with Shivalkar, who despite being 79 years old, still provides daily coaching to budding youngsters. Maxtalent Academy felicitated Shivalkar with a plaque in recognition of his longevity as a cricketer and coach.
“Spinners should never fear any batsman while bowling in shorter or longer version of the game. His aim must to be try out the different variations to surprise the batsmen without compromising on line and length. Never fear to also flight the ball due to the fear of being hit,” said Shivalkar, who produced two of the finest spells witnessed in a Ranji Trophy final when he took 8 for 16 and 5 for 18 for Bombay against Tamil Nadu in 1972-73.
When asked how many deliveries one should bowl in net sessions, Shivalkar said: “Maintain your fitness and bowl a minimum 100 balls with good control.”
The Maxtalent trainees went on to feature in the Maxtalent Mumbai Invitation Challenge Cup. The boys Under-16 tournament saw Shivaji Park Gymkhana emerge as the new champions beating holders Lalchand Rajput Cricket Academy in the final. Maxtalent recorded a creditable victory over PJ Hindu Gymkhana by 5 wickets with Shifran Mulla’s 69 runs being the highlight of that effort. They, however, lost to Shivaji Park by 180 runs despite Jardel Pereira’s 55 runs.
In the Under-12 matches, Maxtalent boys produced a good show with R. Rudra scoring 81 against MGS. Divij Wahdwa’s 42 gave Maxtalent a three-run win over BTCA.
