Sachin Tendulkar's friend reveals Pakistan connection to icon's last Mumbai local ride

Former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He made his international debut against Pakistan at Karachi in 1989 where he went up against the likes of Wasim Akram, Imran Khan and Waqar Younis. Before he embarked on what turned out to be an illustrious and decorated journey for Team India, Sachin Tendulkar actually played for one of its biggest cricketing rivals, Pakistan, a year prior to his debut.

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Significance of Sachin Tendulkar’s playing debut for Pakistan

While speaking with CricketCountry back in 2013, Sachin Tendulkar’s childhood friend and former cricketer Hemant Kenkre talked about Tendulkar’s outing for the Imran-Khan led Pakistan team in 1988. Both Kenkre and the then 14-year-old prodigy took part in a charity match between India and Pakistan at the Brabourne Stadium in 1988. Kenkre, a former Cricket Club of India captain, said that Pakistani veterans like Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir decided to return to their hotel rooms after the first half of the match.

He added that Pakistan then required two volunteer fielders from the Indian team when the hosts were batting. According to Kenkre, a 14-year-old Sachin Tendulkar raised his hand by saying “Mein Jaau Kya?” (Can I go?). He stated that the then youngster fielded for about 25 minutes for Pakistan and even attempted, though unsuccessfully, a really difficult catch at the boundary. Hemant Kenkre revealed that Sachin Tendulkar was really upset after his failed catch attempt, which showed his competitive nature. The Ravi Shastri-led Indian team eventually won that match by chasing down a modest total of 186.

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Marcus Couto, another one of Tendulkar’s childhood friends, also talked about the cricketer’s appearance for Pakistan. He said that at the time, the Mumbai-born batsman told him that he was actually disappointed at being asked to field at the boundary line by the Pakistan team. Couto added that when they were travelling back to their houses via Mumbai local trains after the match, it was the last-ever instance when Sachin Tendulkar used the suburban’s railway commute.

Incidentally, a year later, Tendulkar made his international debut at just 16 against Pakistan in Karachi, making him the youngest Indian till date to achieve that feat.

Image credits: BCCI Twitter

Sachin Tendulkar stats in international cricket

The sheer Sachin Tendulkar stats place him at the top of the pile for several Test and ODI batting records. The former Indian captain has registered 51 tons in Tests and 49 in ODIs to be the leading century-maker in world cricket. The Sachin Tendulkar stats tally of centuries keeps him 29 ahead of second-placed Ricky Ponting (71) and 30 tons ahead of Indian captain Virat Kohli (70). With 34,357 runs, the ‘Master Blaster’ is also the leading run-scorer in international cricket.

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Image credit: ICC Twitter