HYDERABAD: As a player, he was unlucky to miss out on First Class cricket but as a coach he had the distinction of coaching two former India players and several other cricketers in Hyderabad. On Monday, celebrated cricket coach
Ashok Singh
breathed his last at his home after a prolonged illness. The 64-year-old Ashok is survived by his wife, three children and a daughter. Two of his sons had played junior cricket for Hyderabad.
Ashok Singh had coached
VVS Laxman and Andhra wicketkeeper MSK Prasad. He also was involved in coaching several
Ranji Trophy and junior players like B Anirudh, Chandan Sahani, Buddhi Rahul, G Aniketh Reddy among others.
A fine left-arm spinner Ashok, in his playing days, was the captain of top clubs like Hyderabad Blues, Deccan Blues and Ensconse. He played in the junior state team and was also part of the Ranji Trophy squad but failed to make his debut. Ashok had also played in the prestigious Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup under the leadership of the legendary ML Jaisimha. He had bagged five wickets in a game against SBI.
He started his stint as a coach at the
St John’s Sports Coaching Foundation
and went on to etch a name for himself in that area. He also helped out the
Andhra Cricket Association
at their academies. Ashok had also helped out at the academy which Laxman had started a couple of years ago. He then went on to establish his own academy in Bowenpally where many junior players used to train under him.
“It is a huge loss for me personally and also for cricket. He was an honest, humble and hard-working coach. He was more like an elder brother to me. He was my captain at Ensconce Club and from the age of 16 till my retirement he helped me with my game and guided me. He had immense knowledge of the game and was totally committed to coaching. My deepest condolences to his family,” Laxman, who is the mentor for IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad, told TOI.
“He was my coach from the days when I had come to St John’s. During my U-19 days, I had started coming to St John’s to upgrade my game and Ashok sir helped me. Later stages too, I used to go to him and practice with him. He also helped us with the academies in Andhra. I am really sad to hear about his demise. My wishes to the bereaved family,” said Prasad, former India stumper and chairman of the National Senior Selection Committee.
“He was a disciplined person and was very punctual. He was completely dedicated to coaching and time was not a constraint for him. Especially when he was working with Laxman, he would not keep track of time. He used to spend the whole day coaching Laxman. Very sad that a person like him has passed away. Being a fellow cricketer and one who started coaching with us, we have great respect for Ashok. He was a hard-working coach and definitely the young generation of cricketers will miss him,” said K John Manoj, former secretary and present vice-president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).
“For the past seven years, he has been coaching my team Evergreen but we have been friends for more than 40 years. He was a very dedicated man and a fantastic cricketer and a coach. Very sad day for me,” said Prakash Chand Jain, former vice-president of HCA.
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