'Sachin would compete with Virat Kohli': Virender Sehwag recalls incredible 'gym incident'

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag recently shared an anecdote about Sachin Tendulkar's commitment to fitness, revealing that the cricket legend would even compete with Virat Kohli to keep up with the younger generation. Despite facing various injuries throughout his 25-year career, including a back injury in 1999 and a career-threatening tennis elbow, Tendulkar always returned stronger and better than before. 

According to Sehwag, Tendulkar's longevity in the sport can be attributed to his dedication to taking care of his body. As his longtime teammate, Sehwag witnessed firsthand Tendulkar's unwavering focus on maintaining his fitness and staying competitive. Sehwag revealed Tendulkar would always think about adding something new to his batting, which kept him at part with younger players. 

"It’s because each year he kept thinking what new can I add to my batting or I can become better. If I can’t add in batting, I should maintain my fitness in such a way that I can convert 100s into 200s. When we came in 2000s, he would concentrate on fitness more than us. Later, in 2008 when Virat Kohli came in, Sachin would compete with him. He paid more attention to fitness than him," Sehwag said on YouTube channel ‘Beer Biceps’.

“I will tell you an incident. Once we were in a gym and there were dumbbells ranging from 1 kg to 20 kg. We had to pick up each and flex our wrists 10 times. After doing it for 5-6 times, I didn’t have the strength but Sachin did it without stopping from 1 to 20 kgs and then back from 20 kg to 1 kg. It was an exercise for his forearms so he could lift his heavy bat and didn’t tire. We couldn’t go beyond 5kg. So just imagine. By then he had scored already 10-15000 runs and scored some 70 centuries. Why did he need to do all this? Because he knew that if he could keep his body fit, he could play even longer. He was able to play till 40 because he was the fittest in our group," he said.

Sachin Tendulkar's India career

Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. Tendulkar had a remarkable career that spanned over two decades, during which he amassed numerous records and accolades. He made his first-class debut at the age of 15 and soon after, was selected to play for the Indian national team. His international debut came in November 1989, at the age of just 16, against Pakistan in Karachi.

Tendulkar holds the record for the most international runs scored in cricket, with a total of 34,357 runs across all formats. Tendulkar also holds the record for the most international centuries, with 100 centuries (51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs). Tendulkar played a crucial role in India's 2011 World Cup win. He was the tournament's leading run-scorer, with 482 runs at an average of 53.55, including two centuries and three half-centuries.

Tendulkar announced his retirement from international cricket in November 2013, after playing his 200th Test match. He bid farewell to the sport in front of his home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where he delivered an emotional speech thanking his fans and teammates for their support throughout his career.

Image: PTI