Meet Shantanu Sugwekar discussing his feat against Madhya Pradesh and batting alongside Sachin

By Akash Sarkar
The city of Pune has changed a lot over the years. While the tech parks, malls and educational institutes have mushroomed and continue to do so, the city has still managed to keep its old charm alive. Amidst the hustle and bustle, in the centre of the city lies Deccan Gymkhana – a club established in 1906.

Modern in its attire, the venue boasts a rich history behind it. In the 1980s and 90s, when most of Maharashtra cricketers came from Pune (then Poona), the players learned the ropes playing club tournaments organised by Deccan Gymkhana, PYC Hindu Gymkhana or the Poona Club.

Shantanu Sugwekar, former Maharashtra player, started his career learning the art and craft of batting at Deccan Gymkhana. Sugwekar had a very successful first-class career, scoring 6,563 runs in 85 matches from 1987 to 2002, and was a vital part of the Maharashtra team during the glory years, when it made the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy eight times between 1988 and 1996.

Cricket was never Sugwekar's first love, badminton was. Starting with inter-school tournaments, he reached the junior national level before one of his uncles introduced him to cricket. Sugwekar, then 12, took to batting as a fish takes to water. Only after he was selected for the Maharashtra Under-15 team did he take cricket seriously though, and badminton took a back seat. Today, the 47-year-old is best remembered for his unique record of being the only batsman to remain unbeaten on 299 in a Ranji Trophy match.

In 1988-89, playing against Madhya Pradesh at the Nehru Stadium in Pune, Anil Walhekar was dismissed for 38 with Sugwekar at the other end just one run away from a triple hundred. "The moment he (Walhekar) saw the stumps rattled, he started crying," Sugwekar tells as he settles down in front of the Athalye pavilion in Deccan Gymkhana. "He was crying so much on the pitch, I didn't know how to react. I told him ‘jo hota hai hota hai' (whatever happens, happens). "Only after I came back and sat down in the pavilion, I realised I had missed a triple hundred.

Anyway, I was more concerned about Anil being calm." Maharashtra went on to win the match by an innings and 262 runs and qualified for the quarterfinals but lost to Tamil Nadu by 39 runs in the next match. Before he became a run machine for Maharashtra, Sugwekar toured Australia with the India Under-19 team in 1986. He was picked as a middle-order batsman, but ended up opening the bowling with his part-time medium-pace and batting at No. 9.

He remembers every bitter detail of that tour. "I was selected as a middle-order batsman and ended up opening the bowling for the Indian team," he says. "It was very unfortunate that it happened to me because I never dreamt that I would take the new ball. "We were playing in Adelaide. After the toss, I was told that I'd be opening the bowling. I didn't really enjoy that tour."

During his playing days, Sugwekar formed the backbone of the Maharashtra batting line-up along with Santosh Jedhe and Surendra Bhave. As the trio kept milking runs, Maharashtra became a formidable side capable of sinking any team on their day, and between 1988 and 1996, they failed to make it to the Ranji knockout stage only in 1989-90.

Sugwekar's stint with Maharasthra and club cricket in Pune brought him success, but he didn't restrict himself to playing only there. He played league cricket in England in the North Lancashire League from 1990 to 2007 and also represented Sungrace Mafatlal, playing under the leadership of Sandeep Patil, and alongside Sachin Tendulkar. Playing for Sungrace Mafatlal, he was involved in a 400-run stand with Tendulkar against Railways in a Times Shield Division A match. "Sachin joined Sungrace Mafatlal in 1990," recalls Sugwekar.

"In 1994, we were playing a Times Shield A division match against Railways. At lunch, our team was three down for 90. "Everything was going so well . Obviously, with him (Tendulkar) batting around, everything has to go well. Everything was hitting the middle of the bat, the boundaries started flowing and we ended up with a 400-run stand in just two sessions."

For someone who ended his first-class career with an average of 63.10 – the third highest after Vijay Merchant and Ajay Sharma in India, the fact that he never donned the India cap comes as a surprise. However, the selectors repeatedly ignored his claims for a spot in the Indian squad. So what really went wrong? "I don't know," reflects Sugwekar. "I had the ambition to play for India but never thought what else I should do to get into the Indian squad."

After he retired from all forms of cricket in 2007, Sugwekar hasn't been associated with the game in any capacity. "In any sport, sportspersons, after they retire, want to go and give something back to the sport. I don't believe in that," he says cryptically. But he visits Deccan Gymkhana – the ground where he started his journey – often.