Sachin Tendulkar Had Thought His First Test Innings Would Be His Last
Sachin Tendulkar disclosed recently that his first Test innings, vs Pakistan in Karachi in 1989, would be his last.
Highlights
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Tendulkar had thought of quitting after playing his first Test innings
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He felt out of place playing against Pakistan in Karachi
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He also revealed that he had to go disguise himself once in 1994
Cricket is a religion in India and Sachin Tendulkar is God. Everyone has embraced this fact and in spite of Tendulkar retiring from the game in November 2013, his contribution to Indian cricket remain etched in memories of one and all. Not everyone knows that Tendulkar was contemplating quitting the game after his first Test innings against Pakistan. Tendulkar revealed he thought that his first innings in Karachi would also be his last as he felt completely out of place. He made this revelation in the web series 'Breakfast with Champions'.
"First innings of my life, which was in Karachi. I thought which this was my first and last match. First match to be honest, I had no idea. Waqar Younis at one end, Wasim Akram from the other end. They reversed the ball. I was completely out of place. I came to the dressing room and thought mere bas ki baat nahi (I'm not capable of doing it).
"Everyone told me to give yourself time. Second innings of my life, I got 59 runs in Faisalabad, second Test, first innings. I got back to the dressing room and looked at myself in the mirror and said that I have done it".
Tendulkar also disclosed how he had to disguise himself in 1994 when he went to watch a movie with his family. "Had to go to movies in disguise. In 1994, we all decided to go for a movie 'Roja' with family somewhere in Worli. I had worn sunglasses and put on a fake beard to disguise myself. Somehow I got recognised and had to leave," he said.
The legendary batsman also recalled the moments where he realised about former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership qualities. "Whenever I used to be fielding in the slips, I would be discussing with him, constantly, about the fielding positions. I would say my opinions and ask him what he thought about them. It was during these interactions that I picked on his leadership ability," Tendulkar said.
He has played 200 Tests and 463 One-day Internationals (ODIs) scoring 34,347 runs in both the formats. He has 15,921 runs in Tests and 18,426 ODI runs. He has also 100 centuries to his name in the two formats (51 Test hundreds and 49 ODI tons).