Audi Quattro Conversations with MCA president Ajay Shirke

It is by far and away the most watched sport in the country, drawing a fanatical fan-following where key players are elevated to the status of demigods. Cricket is religion in India, of that there’s no question, and of all the car brands in the country, the one most strongly associated with the sport has been Audi.

Even before Audi came to India, way back in the eighties, Indians got their first glimpse of the ‘four rings’ when Ravi Shastri drove his teammates round the Melbourne Cricket Ground in an Audi 100; his prize for being crowned Champion of Champions at the World Cup of Cricket, a series that India won after triumphing over Pakistan in the finals. This victory came within two years of India’s 1983 World Cup victory and ever since then Audi has been closely associated with cricket. Which is why, for this edition of Quattro Conversations, we decided to catch up with somebody who has been closely associated with the development of the game in the country.

The Shirke group not only manufactures heavy-duty construction equipment but has also had a hand in several marquee projects like the sports stadium in Pune, national highways in Maharashtra, IT parks, residential projects and much more. However, director Ajay Shirke has always found time for his passions. At first it was rally cars that he not only built but also competed with in his youth, and now it is

cricket. Since 2000, he has channelled his energies into the Maharashtra Cricket Association and as president of the MCA, has been the driving force behind a brand new stadium, at Gahunje on the outskirts of Pune.

And when someone is so passionately involved with cricket, can it be a coincidence that there’s an Audi parked in his driveway? The Shirke household uses the spacious, practical and comfortable Q5 as a daily runabout, the 2-litre TSI petrol engine coming in for high praise for its blend of performance, efficiency and refinement. Like all his cars, the Q5 is spotless, in as good a condition today as when it rolled out of the showroom a year ago, and after a leisurely stroll through his garage talking cars, we sit down to talk about cricket.

“Cricket is important as a sport. I don’t think it’s the be all and end all of sport in the country, but it is the most popular sport. And it is the only sport that can reduce the traffic on our roads when a great match is being played!

“The way cricket is administered in the country, I am sure there will be many others like Sachin Tendulkar. We have the national association, which is the BCCI, we have the state associations and they in turn have the district associations, so cricket has gone right down to the masses. There is a pathway that has been created for any budding cricketer to make his way up based on talent and merit. Every enthusiast in this country has the opportunity to make it in to the big league if they have the passion and commitment to follow through.

“Sachin Tendulkar is an exception, but we will see lot of great cricketers in the future because of all this effort and the way in which cricket has been established in the last 60 years. Now cricket is seen as a viable option for somebody to pursue as a professional career and one can a make decent living out of it. All of this has given an impetus to the sport and will help us develop good players.”

Is it any wonder that a technical and fast game has a strong connection with a brand whose tagline is Vorsprung Durch Technik? The day we were allowed in to the Gahunje stadium, we just happened to have the RS5 and RS7 on hand – two fast cars at the home of cricket. The Gahunje stadium has played host to the IPL Twenty20 cricket matches where everything is about speed – how fast you score runs, how fast you bowl out your opponents, how fast you run between wickets. And speed is the driving philosophy for Audi’s RS cars. The RS5 does 0-100kmph in 6.95 seconds while the RS7 is totally ballistic, taking 3.7 seconds to 100kmph. Like any car enthusiast, Shirke is also keen to know more about these cars, after which the conversation veers to the faster version of cricket – the IPL.

“The IPL is definitely a good thing. Recently I read a report from the big five auditors about how the IPL has contributed significantly to the economy of the country. It is a tremendous opportunity for a lot of people to make a career out of cricket.”

“The India team included only those 11 people who would get picked at the highest level of the sport. What the IPL has essentially done is, brought a whole set of people, including professional cricketers under its umbrella and increased the options for talent to flourish and given them an opportunity to make a living, playing a sport they are passionate about.”

“The clean up in the IPL that we see today is a very good start. You have to make a good beginning and then can carry it through. We will soon see the results as things are already falling into place and can only get better. It is a great beginning, a great initiative and the current BCCI president has managed to do it unanimously and very fast. So full credit to him.”

But does shirke have a preference for a particular format of cricket? And with his beloved stadium at Pune finally getting test status, is he looking forward to watching the longer version of the game at home?

“I like all forms of cricket. Unfortunately, I rarely have the pleasure of watching a cricket match uninterrupted at a stadium. Being part of the management we have lot of responsibilities and there is hardly a moment where we can relax and watch the game. There are so many things to attend to like VIPs gate crashing and little niggles everywhere.”

“The matches I really enjoy are the Maharashtra matches, the under 16 and under 19. It is great fun to watch those matches and see budding talent.”

“The atmosphere in a stadium is very different to watching a game on television. Watching it in a crowd with all the attendant fanfare, energy and the excitement gives you a wholly different experience.”

“The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) is very excited to have a test match for the very first time. It’s after a long wait of almost 80 years and we hope to make it a great event. This is one match that I’m really looking forward to watching in the stadium.

“It is unfortunate that cricket enthusiasts don’t come out in numbers like they used to for the shorter versions. Although if you look at test matches abroad, like in Australia or New Zealand, they come out in the thousands. And watching sessionto- session cricket is a very absorbing way of watching this game.

Over the years it is not just Ravi Shastri who has won and owned Audis. Ever since his Audi 100 – which must have felt like a spaceship after the Premier Padmini he used to drive till then – Shastri has been a fan of Audis and most recently, he was at the launch of the new TT along with Audi India racer, Aditya Patel. Prior to that, Shastri also handed over to Yuvraj Singh, the keys to the Q5 – the updated version of

which graces Ajay Shirke’s driveway. When we ask if that was one of the reasons for buying the Q5 he just smiles. But the most famous name with an Audi in his garage today is the captain of the Indian test cricket team, Virat Kohli. He recently got himself a matte blue Audi R8 V10 LMX, one of the fastest supercars on the planet. And he followed it up soon after with an appearance at the launch of India’s fastest estate, taking the wraps off the RS6 Avant. What do all these cars share? Quattro! And so we continue our conversation with Shirke, on who he considers to be the world’s greatest cricketers.

“I don’t think there is a single greatest cricketer. There are the highly acclaimed and well known cricketers and there are those who have not made it in the sense of being recognized globally. There are so many domestic cricketers who are also very good but they just did not have the opportunities to make it at that time. Therefore I don’t think there is a particular greatest cricketer and it would be impossible for me to name just “Sachin Tendulkar is of course the obvious name that comes to mind. Then you have the West Indian greats like the three Ws and you have Garfield Sobers, (Glen) McGrath and Shane Warne; all cricket gods.”

Thanks to the efforts of shirke and his team at the MCA, with their talent development program and the Cadence cricket academy, there is a solid pipeline of young cricket stars waiting to burst forth. And while these cricketers set our stadiums and televisions alight, petrol heads might just be left with empty roads to experience the thrill of driving. Win – win!