'He devoted his entire life for the betterment of Mumbai cricket and cricketers.'
'Even when he left for the Elysian Fields, he was in harness as mentor/advisor to the MCA.'
Hemant Kenkre mourns the passing of Mumbai cricket icon Milind Rege.
One of the most difficult things to do is to write an obituary for someone who has been a guiding light to you. Milind Rege was one such person.
To type the word 'was' instead of 'is' in itself gives me a sense of numbness and the 'nah, this is a bad dream. I'll wake up and it will all be fine' kind of feeling. Unfortunately, Milind left for a better place, scoring 76 glorious years.
It was less than a week ago that I'd wished him a happy 76th birthday. And, my 'trust you're doing well' got a 'getting better' reply. Sadly, that was not to be.
My mentor breathed his last in his sleep at a hospital in south Mumbai, putting many cricketers and followers of the game in a dark cast of gloom.
The Rege family lived in a flat diagonally across my maternal uncle Manohar Gavaskar and his family.
My eldest cousin, the celebrated Sunil Gavaskar, and Milind were the two peas in the Bhagirathi Bai building's pod, the apartment complex that nurtured sports and arts in a cosmopolitan surrounding.
As a child, I used to be dropped off in my mami Meenal Gavaskar's care while my mother, a medical doctor, attended her clinic.
My earliest memory of the game of cricket was in that space, especially on Sundays when Sunil, Milind and the rest of the gang used to play tennis ball cricket in the Wadi.
A lot has been written about these two heroes of my childhood: Their steadfast friendship, the partnerships they had for St Xavier's Fort High School (my alma mater too) and St Xavier's College.
Though they made their first class debut in the same match (for VST Colts XI, Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup, 1966) under Tiger Pataudi's captaincy, Milind was first off the block to play for Bombay in the Ranji Trophy in 1967. Sunil followed a few years later, in 1970.
Milind, a prodigious middle-order batsman and right-arm off-spinner, was fast tracked into the Bombay team by Madhav Mantri, a shrewd judge of talent, who also got him to play for the iconic club, Dadar Union, while still in school.
His first class career lasted till 1977; he ended captaining Bombay that season aggregating 1,531 runs and bagging 125 wickets in 52 matches.
Many believe he had the potential to play for India, which was tough considering the national team had two legendary offies: Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan.
While he continued performing for Bombay and West Zone playing the supporting role alongside spin star Padmakar Shivalkar and bolstering the lower order and taking his team out of trouble on many occasions, he suffered a heart attack in his mid-20s.
After a few years of rehab, while everyone thought his playing days were over, he made a remarkable comeback into the strong Bombay side purely on his performances as an aggressive batsman and an occasional bowler.
He continued playing for his employers, Tata Sports Club, Dadar Union and the Cricket Club of India till the early 1980s when he decided his health had to take precedence over the game he loved.
But he was far from finished. Post his playing days, he took on the role of mentor, selector and administrator for his beloved Mumbai Cricket Association, the Tata Sports Club and CCI, unearthing and counselling talent while playing the all-important role of a conduit in the famed Mumbai cricket pipeline.
In the early 1980s when the Mafatlal Sports Club's cricket team was disbanded, he was responsible for ensuring jobs in several Tata group companies to many cricketers who had lost their main source of income and the opportunity to play at the topmost level of cricket in Bombay.
Tata Sports Club became the team to beat for many years from 1985 till the mid-1990s with capable players like Lalchand Rajput, Raju Kulkarni, Ravi Thakar to join Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Kiran More, Milind Gunjal, Vijay Mohan Raj, Shishir Hattangadi, Alan Sippy and Ravi Kulkarni among others.
I was fortunate to have been part of the full squad, getting an opportunity to play the prestigious A division of the Times Shield whenever the need arose.
The Tata team's trips to the annual Arlem Trophy tournament, an all-India affair that featured the country's top teams, was something we all looked forward to.
For starters, it happened immediately after the Ranji Trophy and the tough Times Shield A division had concluded and players longed for a bit of R&R after a grueling season.
As manager of the team, Milind displayed a mix of kindness and firmness while dealing with the players.
I remember one particular game at the Panjim Gymkhana, the first of the tourney, where we lost to a relatively nondescript side, while ours featured stalwarts of that time.
Milind was furious and came down very hard on the players. His verbal assault was halted by Paddy Shivalkar, known for his musical talent, who started singing a popular jingle while Milind was firing on all cylinders.
Paddy's improvised tune had Milind ending up with a broad smile, saying: "I know you guys will win, don't take it lightly again." Yes, Tata Sports Club won that season too!
That was Milind, someone who spoke his mind without fear, calling a spade a spade no matter who he was dealing with.
His eye for selecting the right players too has been written about. Not just at Tatas, where he employed cricketers like Sourav Ganguly, Abey Kuruvilla, Sairaj Bahutule, Samir Dighe, Paras Mhambrey and many more, but for CCI too.
Once, in the early 1990s, he and I were discussing which players to pick as playing members of the club.
CCI already had Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. He outlined his vision for the future of CCI saying: "It doesn't matter if we lose matches, we should solely focus on the coming talent who may be raw but have the potential. These boys will 'play together' for the Club and hopefully for Mumbai and India in the future." Prophetic words!
Milind could be direct and in your face, an attribute that would cause a few flutters but those who knew him, understood he had a malice-free heart and had nothing but the best intention to work towards a cause he believed.
With the younger lot, he was most supportive and had a unique way of getting his point across to them.
His corporate experience, being head of public relations at Tata Steel, gave him an edge over administrators when it came to taking decisions.
On a personal level, Milind played a big role in my life, and he was the first person I called whenever I've needed guidance or advice.
He helped me grow not just as a cricketer or as a professional connected with the media but as a human being.
He devoted his entire life for the betterment of Mumbai cricket and cricketers. Even when he left for the Elysian Fields, he was in harness as mentor/advisor to the MCA.
Honestly, there will never be another one, like Milind. Last of the Mohicans!
Hemant Kenkre played for Bombay Schools, Bombay University and Under-22 sides. He represented Tata Sports Club and captained the Cricket Club of India.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
© 2025