Yohan Blake says Sachin Tendulkar taught him, "The impossible is attainable"

Yohan Blake, the double silver medalist at the London Olympics, is a huge fan of Sachin Tendulkar. Yohan’s dream is to bowl at his idol once.

When asked about how he feels about his icon turning 40, Blake in an interview to Outlook magazine said: “I don’t consider myself qualified enough to talk about an icon of the level of Sachin Tendulkar, I grew up watching Sachin bat. I have been a cricket fan since I was four years old and from the earliest years, Sachin has been one of my heroes. In our part of the world, there were two names as far as cricket is concerned — Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. While most of my mates were Brian Lara fans, I always felt an affinity towards Sachin. I just loved his consistency.”

Blake recollects an incident when Tendulkar scored the first ever double century in One-Day International on February 24, 2010. “We were watching the match at a pub in Jamaica, and when he reached 120,  there was talk among us about how many he’d get in that innings. Some of my friends suggested he’d get 150 and no more. I was the only one who suggested he’d get a double, the first in ODI history. We had a bet, and the deal was they’d take me to dinner if he did and that we’d party all night if it happened. I was thrilled when he scored his double, and if I had had his number then, I’d surely have called him and thanked him for winning me a fabulous dinner. Also, when I went to training the next morning, I had a cardinal Sachin lesson with me, which was: “The impossible is attainable” if you put in the extra yard. I have always kept this in mind and must say it has helped me evolve as an athlete.”

Apparently Yohan sees future in cricket after finishing his athletics career stating: “I am a fairly good cricketer and Usain says I should think of the IPL once my athletics career is over. It will be brilliant if I can play for Sachin’s team and share the same changing room with him.”

Blake though thinks that Sachin’s record of 100 international hundreds might be broken someday saying: “Look, half a century earlier it was unimaginable to think one can run 100 meters in under 10 seconds. Now, 100 meters in 9.5 seconds is a definite reality. Accordingly, it will be impossible to predict what will happen 20-25 years down the line.”

On being asked about Tendulkar’s retirement, Blake said: “It was painful to hear he retired from ODI cricket. I think you should leave it to him and that it is completely his own call. I was delighted to see him score 81 against Australia and he looked in sublime touch. I think we are lucky to see him play and hope he continues to entertain us for some more time in the future. I’d like to wish him a very happy 40th birthday and all joy and happiness.”