Bushfire relief match 2020: Sachin Tendulkar comes out of 'retirement' for charity, plays a cameo
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar got back into the thick of things as he batted against Australia’s Ellyse Perry in a charity match. Wearing the Australian green and gold, Tendulkar extended his support to the Bushfire relief event at the Junction Oval, Melbourne.
Facing Perry, who is one of the finest women’s cricketers in the modern era, Tendulkar hit the first delivery for a boundary. A fumble by a women fire-fighter saw the ball run over the boundary ropes as the crowd went into a frenzy. The vintage glance towards the leg side was followed by yet another tap but this time the fielder made no mistake and acknowledged a rousing applause from the spectators. Perry bowled four balls to Tendulkar and the last two were bowled by a teammate.
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Tendulkar took guard for the first time in five-and-a-half years
Earlier, the 2019 Women's Cricketer of the year threw out a challenge to the batting legend on social media in a video message. Her message read: “Hey Sachin, it’s awesome to have you out here in Australia supporting the Bushfire match."
“I know you’re coaching one of the teams but a few of us were sitting around last night chatting and we thought it would be absolutely amazing to see you potentially come out of retirement for one over in the innings break out here at Junction Oval." she added.
Tendulkar took up the challenge in-spite of shoulder trouble. He responded saying, "Sounds great Ellyse. I would love to go out there & bat an over (much against the advice of my doctor due to my shoulder injury)."
Tendulkar, now 46, made his first appearance in a game in more than five and half years. He looked in good touch just like his colleague Brian Lara, who dished out a cover drive to launch the ball for a maximum. Many big names, including the likes of Ricky Ponting, Wasim Akram and Courtney Walsh took part in the game. Ponting XI beat Gilchrist XI and the entire event raised more than $7.7m.