Pranav Dhanawade, who scored a mind-boggling unbeaten 1009, was lauded by everyone. By doing this the 15-year old became the highest individual scorer in all forms of the game. His discipline helped him bat for nearly 400 minutes on January 5. However, this discipline came the hard way for the KC Gandhi School student, as per his coach.
Pranav was given an ultimatum by his coach and mentor Mobin Shaikh some months ago to improve his behaviour and get serious about his cricket, or else get ready to leave the team. Pranav first came to Mobin's Modern Cricket Club in Kalyan when he was only five.
In a recent interview Mobin Shaikh, who is a Central Bank of India employee said, "I was fed up with Pranav and a few other kids at my academy. Often, during warm-ups and practice, Pranav cracked jokes or fooled around. Once, we were playing an all-India tournament in the northern region of India and I noticed him laughing at his own dismissal when the replay was shown on the big screen. I was furious.”
Mobin revealed, "He was never really serious about his cricket. I did not like this casual attitude and had to give them a final warning – ‘improve your attitude or get thrown out of the academy’.” In Mobin’s words the ultimatum not only worked but it did “wonders." He added, "I could see that Pranav had started focusing on his cricket thereafter.”
When Mobin asked whether Pranav’s innings came to him as a shock, he replied, "I knew he had the potential to play good cricket. All he needed was some seriousness in his approach. He started working on that aspect in the last few days and I am delighted that he was able to achieve this incredible feat.”
"Pranav is basically a happy-go-lucky boy. He has a carefree attitude and loves to enjoy his time. I have told him that this knock is history now and tomorrow is a fresh start. He has to start from scratch and work towards achieving higher goals in life."
Pranav is the son of an auto rickshaw driver, who had his share of financial hardships, but luckily Pranav’s cricketing expenses were mostly taken care of by his club. Mobin added, "While the club supported him whenever we could, his parents have also been very supportive. Pranav's mother learnt to cook biryani from my wife. Pranav's mother now takes party orders that help his family generate extra income.”
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