Vaidehi Ankolekar, a BEST (The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport) conductor here, was busy with her duties in a municipal bus on Saturday morning; but was also constantly checking her phone for updates on the Under-19 Asia Cup final in Colombo.
The moment India was bowled out for a meagre 106, she sought permission from her depot seniors and rushed to her home in western suburbs.
A mother of two teenaged cricketers — the elder of whom, left-arm spinner Atharva, was donning India colts’ blues in Colombo — Vaidehi wasn’t sure about whether her son would spin his web around the Bangladesh batsmen.
Delighted
“Once the pacers earned four quick wickets, I was hoping that Atharva will see the team through. Just couldn’t have asked for anything better than him wrapping the match up with two quick wickets and finishing with five wickets,” Vaidehi told The Hindu , while taking a break from her primary school students’ tuition at her home.
The lanky Atharva may have emerged as the toast of the nation with his dream run in the Asia Cup, culminating in a match-winning performance in the final. But he has had to struggle ever since starting to ply his trade as a kid.
When he was nine, his father Vinod — also a BEST conductor who hoped his unfulfilled desire to be a cricketer would be accomplished by his sons — died in 2010. It forced his mother to double up as the breadwinner besides raising Atharva and his younger brother Parth, who is now in Mumbai’s under-14 probables.
Vaidehi says while she juggled with the dual responsibility, Atharva matured as an individual fast. “I was struggling to keep the house running, so couldn’t give as much attention to the kids as I wished, but Atharva looked after himself and young Parth,” she says. “His maturity comes to the fore on and off the field.”
Commerce student
Atharva trains regularly at the MIG Cricket Club in Bandra and represents Star Cricket Club, one of the club’s four outfits, in local cricket. An alumnus of the Parle Tilak Vidyalaya, Atharva is pursuing a commerce degree through the Rizvi College.
The Under-19 Asia Cup title would result in the Ankolekar household celebrating Atharva’s birthday about 10 days earlier — he would turn 19 on Sept. 26.
“We can’t wait to see him return tomorrow night. I will definitely cook his favourite non-veg dishes and also give him the gift that he wants,” she signed off.
