Sachin Tendulkar plays late-night street cricket with fans
It's been close to five years since the God of Cricket walked away into the sunset at the Wankhede Stadium, bowing out of international cricket after 24 years of playing the game at the top-most level. While he made a few sporadic appearances thereafter, for the MCC XI in 2014 and the All-Stars Tournament two years later, fans have been missing the trademark straight drives and the glance off his bulky pads all these years.
It must have been a shocker then, for unassuming fans playing next to a Colaba-Bandra Metro line-3 barricade in Mumbai, when Sachin Tendulkar himself walked out of his car and joined them to play some late-night gully cricket on the streets of Bandra.
In a video posted by Sachin's childhood friend and former teammate Vinod Kambli, the Master Blaster is seen batting by the side of the road, presenting a small glimpse of few of his best strokes that made him a phenomenon in international cricket for well over two decades.
He uploaded the video with a small message that read: "@sachin_rt. Master Blaster good to See you enjoying like Old times!" (sic)
Tendulkar is seen walking out of his car to join the band of youngsters, enjoying a harmless game of gully cricket on the sides till then, with one of Sachin's associates telling them "One of our players wants to bat, he wants to play two deliveries, he's played for India"
Wearing a white shirt, Sachin is seen starting off with a backfoot punch to the leg side, much to the amusement of the fans, a wide grin on the legendary batsman's face all along. With a red road barrier acting as makeshift stumps, he is seen facing a rubber ball, a typical form of equipment used in gully cricket in India, dishing out his languid strokes using a battered bat, caring little about the rugged pavement and dim lights.
While most vehicles pass by oblivious, a few stop by and wonder why to wonder why a random game of gully cricket is being captured on mobile by bystanders. Tendulkar carries on unbothered, playing an over full of delightful backfoot punches, after which he is surrounded by his new set of 'opponents', who are seen politely requesting for a photograph.
The video of this heartwarming act by the soon-to-turn 45-year-old became a rage on social media and goes to show the simplicity that has been the highlight of Sachin's personality, despite the nonpareil success he has received in his life.