Mumbai legend helped the careers of several players like Vengsarkar, Manjrekar and Rohit Sharma
Despite never making it to the highest level, Paranjape had a strong grasp on batting technique and the ability to help people get the most out of themselves. Paranjape developed this skill by watching greats like Madhav Mantri, his captain at Dadar Union, go about their business. And when he too rose through the same ranks and took over the club, Dadar Union went on a title-winning spree. They swept the Kanga League A division, Talim Shield, Purshottam Shield and the Comrade Shield. As much as those trophies symbolise the kind of leader Paranjape was, only the stories give a true sense of the man. Here is one involving Paranjape during his tenure as Dadar Union captain in the 1970s when the Bombay club was experiencing a golden era.
Paranjape’s reason for the declaration was simple. “There was a match to be won. If our team – which included a certain Sunil Gavaskar – found it so difficult to score, then the opposition would struggle too, though they were a very good side.”
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo
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