Four interesting stories/facts about Sachin Tendulkar
16th November 2013 - the day when the entire nation came to a standstill. The moist eyes and the kind of human emotion on display were simply unmatched. The outburst of emotion was quite natural as It was the last time when Sachin Tendulkar would don the whites for India.
During these last five years, we have seen the Indian team undergo a considerable transformation. However, the only constant in the Indian dressing room was the void left after his retirement.
Over these last few seasons, Virat Kohli has been in stupendous form. He has shouldered the responsibility of batting at number four position and relieving the selectors from the enormous pressure of finding the right fit for the number four position.
Although time flies by and the game goes on, the greats of the game never leave our hearts. Tendulkar has collectively given us a thousand reason to smile. Thus, if not for anything else, we are still in awe of him for the kind of human being he is.
Sometimes it seems that the Almighty chose him to show us what heights an individual can attain if he remains humble and honest. He has been a role model, both on and off the field. The way he kept himself grounded is simply exemplary for a career spanning over two decades.
We’ve heard a great deal about the man from different mediums, but there are a few interesting stories about him which are not as well known as his other records. Here are four such interesting anecdotes/ stories/ facts about Tendulkar.
#4 The last tribute to the 22 yards
We all were glued to our television sets when we saw the Master Blaster pay tribute to the 22 yards for one last time at the end of the 2013 Mumbai Test. In his autobiography, he vividly mentioned about his last meeting with the 22 yards.
After completing the farewell speech, as he was trying to absorb the emotion, Virat Kohli came up to Tendulkar and said, "Paji, you have told me to remind you that you have to go to the pitch". And we all know what happened next, don’t we?
In his autobiography, he mentions that as he went to the pitch, he was completely blank and felt a lump in his throat. In his 15-second visit to the pitch, Tendulkar thanked the 22 yards and said, ‘thank you for taking care of me'. Such simple yet powerful words which showed us the love he had for the game.