Sachin kept his word, fulfilled promise 15 years after teammate’s selfless act paved the way for Tendulkar’s India debut

There's a reason why Sachin Tendulkar has always held a special place in the hearts of a billion Indian cricket fans.

Sachin Tendulkar’s career as an Indian cricketer spanned a quarter of a century, but even before he became a cricketer, certain individuals played a key role in helping young Sachin become the Master Blaster of Indian cricket. Professor Ramesh Tendulkar was instrumental in ensuring Tendulkar had the best upbringing, and his coach Ramakant Achrekar polished an uncut diamond. Besides, the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Viv Richards had the biggest impact on Tendulkar, as did Kapil Dev’s 1983 World Cup-winning team, which ignited the fire in a 10-year-old living in Bandra, Mumbai, to play for India.

There's only one Sachin Tendulkar (PTI)

But such is the legend of Tendulkar that even today, 12 years after he retired from all forms of competitive cricket, tales keep surfacing. Tendulkar, during an event in Mumbai, recalled an instance, where had it not been for his teammate’s selfless act, breaking into the Indian team could have taken longer. Tendulkar made his India debut in November 1989, and while he had achieved everything a youngster could to don the India colours, a final audition remained. Representing ‘Rest of India’ in the Irani Cup, Sachin was batting on 85 when the ninth wicket fell. Next in line was vice-captain Gursharan Singh, who couldn’t bat due to a fractured finger sustained in the first innings, but eventually did after the late Raj Singh Dungarpur urged him to.

“That was my trial match for the Indian team. Gursharan wasn’t supposed to bat, but he listened to Raj Singh and came out to bat, and eventually helped me get my 100. And I got selected to play for India after that. Later, Gursharan also became a part of the Indian cricket team. I thanked him profusely there, because it was a big thing for him to come out with his broken hand. His intent, his attitude mattered the most to me. That touched my heart,” Tendulkar reminisced during an Ageas Federal Life Insurance event on Tuesday.

When Tendulkar kept his promise

The knock eventually paved the way for Tendulkar’s maiden India call-up after a few months. But even as he went on to become a legend of the game, Gursharan’s gesture stayed with him throughout. Years later, when it was his time to return to favour, Tendulkar did it in some style in the year 2005.

“In those days, there were benefit matches for retired cricketers. So I told him in New Zealand, ‘Gushi, someday or the other, you will retire. You can’t play for a lifetime. But the day you retire and you get a benefit match, I promise I will come and play.’ And I’m glad that I was able to play his match…” added Sachin.

“I told him, ‘Gushi, I had promised you in New Zealand (in 1990) that I will play in your benefit match, and 15 years later, now that you have decided to host the benefit match, I will definitely come and play. That’s my promise,” the former India captain said with a smile, adding: “These memories still stay with me. And today, I can proudly say, whatever I promised, I fulfilled…”