The Mumbai Indians dressing room have always had the biggest of cricketing names present over the course of their 15 years in Indian Premier League (IPL). But none bigger than the India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who played for the franchise for five seasons between 2008 and 2013 before becoming their mentor. So most players who have been to the most successful IPL franchise have had their special Sachin Tendulkar story and MI star Suryakumar Yadav recalled his never-before-heard story of the legend. (IPL 2022 FULL COVERAGE)
Speaking on the YouTube show 'Breakfast with Champions' with Gaurav Kapur, Suryakumar talked about his first very experience of being at the MI dressing room. He recalled it being so crowded that he could do nothing but stand in the corner with his kit before Sachin called him to sit beside him. The 31-year-old admitted that position has remained fixed for him in the dressing room ever since for every Mumbai Indians game he has ever played.
"When I went to the MI dressing room for the first time, there was no room to sit, there were so many players. I was standing with my kit bag. Sachin has a fixed spot to sit, near the Ganesh idol. He asked, 'What happened?'. I said, 'There's no space to sit. He replied saying, 'Pull up a chair and sit somewhere'. I told him, 'There's no space anywhere.' He asked me to sit beside him and till date that spot is where I always sit. Whether it is the domestic game or an IPL game...that spot is fixed. That's where it all started and after all, if God tells you to sit there, you have so sit there."
{{/usCountry}}"When I went to the MI dressing room for the first time, there was no room to sit, there were so many players. I was standing with my kit bag. Sachin has a fixed spot to sit, near the Ganesh idol. He asked, 'What happened?'. I said, 'There's no space to sit. He replied saying, 'Pull up a chair and sit somewhere'. I told him, 'There's no space anywhere.' He asked me to sit beside him and till date that spot is where I always sit. Whether it is the domestic game or an IPL game...that spot is fixed. That's where it all started and after all, if God tells you to sit there, you have so sit there."
{{/usCountry}}Suryakumar, who joined the team first in 2012 for a season, returned to MI in 2018 before being retained for the 2022 season. He has been in top form for the franchise despite their horror IPL 2022.