He recognised me and I felt really blessed that day: Sushma Verma on her interaction with Sachin Tendulkar
Indian wicketkeeper-batswoman Sushma Verma recalled two fond and memorable incidents of meeting Sachin Tendulkar. One was during a session with the Indian women’s team, where she didn’t have the courage to interact with him personally, and another was when Sachin himself came up to Verma to have a chat in Dharamshala.
In a live session with Indranil Basu on Sportskeeda’s Facebook page, Sushma Verma spoke about the time when Sachin Tendulkar gave the entire team a pep talk in Mumbai before they were to fly out to England for the 2017 World Cup.
Verma revealed:
“We felt very motivated after he sat with the entire team for 20-25 minutes. He spoke about the magnitude of the tournament and what to expect from the whole situation and how to deal with it. He advised us on the right frame of mind to be in. So, he talked on the mental aspect of the game.”
Sushma Verma added that while several of her teammates started peppering Sachin Tendulkar with questions, she could not muster the courage to go up to him and talk.
I still miss that moment: Sushma Verma’s meeting with Sachin Tendulkar in Dharamshala
However, Sushma Verma did get a chance to speak to Sachin Tendulkar when he was at Dharamshala to attend an event. Verma went for training to the indoor facilities of the HPCA Stadium in the evening, thinking that the event was done and dusted.
“I saw him come out of the stadium and I took another entrance route. That was because there were lots of members of the local association (Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association) and they would have asked me to meet Sachin Tendulkar, which would have consumed a lot of his time.”
But, Verma's escape plan proved futile as Sachin Tendulkar himself recognised her. Tendulkar walked up to Verma and gave her some words of wisdom while asking her to keep up the good work.
Sushma Verma said she felt really blessed and that she thinks of that moment every time she takes that route.