Suryakumar Yadav is at the pinnacle of his cricket career. As the leading T20I batter globally, he has been named India’s T20I captain, moving ahead of Hardik Pandya. At 33, Surya is expected to lead the team until the 2026 T20 World Cup, where India will aim to defend their title at home. Starting this new chapter, Surya is poised for continued success and excitement. Newly appointed T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav helps former coach after the latter faced humiliation at job before getting sacked from his role. This move shows how loyal and down to earth the captain is, as he keeps in touch and stands up for his former coach.
Why SKY’s former coach got sacked
While Suryakumar is at the peak of his career, his childhood coach Ashok Aswalkar is facing personal struggles. Aswalkar, who was SKY’s first coach, recently lost his job after 24 years and now earns just ₹10,000 a month.
The 61-year-old, who dedicated over two decades to Chembur’s Anushakti Nagar as both a curator and coach, and was earning ₹41,000 for his dual roles, feels ‘humiliated’ by the situation. Aswalkar described how things started to unravel when he returned to work after attending a family event.
Upon his return, he noticed unusual behavior from his colleagues and others at work. After a few discussions and exchanges, the 61-year-old was dismissed from his position.
“I went to attend my nephew’s wedding in Malvan with prior intimation. They [ASMC] asked me to meet them on my return on December 31. I did so, but no one spoke to me during my three-hour visit. I was then told via a message to return home and I would be called again. This was humiliating. When I was told to visit the place a week later, no one met me again,” said Aswalkar.
“After one month I got a message at my home that few [ASMC] members wanted to meet me at the ground. I met and spoke with Mr [Ramakant] Sahu and two other committee members there. They asked me questions and listened carefully to what I said. The committee members said they will get in touch with me soon, but till date, no one has communicated with me. The last salary I drew was ₹26,911 in December 2023.” He added.
SKY stands up for his former coach
The relationship Suryakumar Yadav shares with his childhood coach can solely be gauged from the fact that Aswalkar withheld the information of his sacking from his family members, letting only SKY know of his plight.
“I didn’t even tell my family members that I had lost my job. I just messaged Surya to say that I lost my job and told him who was responsible for this damage. Surya in response stopped entertaining that particular person,” Aswalkar said.
As his former employers spoke up, wanting Aswalkar to rejoin his former role, the veteran coach kept his dignity, emphasizing on his and SKY’S dream of coaching needy youngsters.
“I am coaching youngsters in an indoor turf facility at Chembur now. I spoke with Surya about starting a cricket academy and he gave me a positive reply. We both want to provide coaching to needy youngsters. Money was never a priority for us, and it will not be in the future,” he said.
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