Rohit Sharma recollects his first close meeting with Sachin Tendulkar. Rohit recalled the first time he saw Tendulkar up close and personal. When the Master Blaster made a visit to the CCI, where he used to train.
Innumerable cricketers, including Team India captain Rohit Sharma, have been motivated by Sachin Tendulkar to pursue a career in the game. In light of recent circumstances, Rohit recalled his first close brush with the renowned batter.
Rohit recalled the first time he saw Tendulkar up close. During Australia’s 2004/05 tour of India, the Master Blaster paid a visit to the Cricket Club of India (CCI), where Rohit used to train. Tendulkar, he said, spent some time watching him bat, which made him nervous. He went on to claim that after that, they played together in the Ranji Trophy final in 2006, and he learned more from seeing Tendulkar up close.
“Paaji (Tendulkar) came to the CCI and stood behind our nets, watching me train.” I must admit that I was nervous. It was only natural for me to be. You simply desired to impress him. Obtaining recognition was the ultimate measure in his eyes. Following that, we played in the 2006 Ranji Trophy final, which Mumbai won, and I kept learning from witnessing Paaji up close,” Rohit wrote in his book Sachin@50.
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Tendulkar was reading the bowlers exceptionally well: Rohit
Rohit’s first notable innings for India in the 50-over format was definitely his 66 against Australia in the first final of the Commonwealth Bank Tri-series in 2007/08. Notably, India won the game thanks to 123 runs for the fourth wicket from Rohit and Tendulkar. The 35-year-old has spoken out about their collaboration and how Tendulkar helped him understand the bowlers throughout the game.
India needed a partnership to stay in the game, according to Rohit, and Tendulkar was batting brilliantly. He went on to claim that he felt compelled to stay and assist Tendulkar. He went on to say that Australia predicted they would win the three-match final in two games, but India beat them 2-0.
“To win the game, we needed a partnership, and Paaji (Tendulkar) was batting brilliantly.” It was critical that I stayed with him and supported him. Australia had declared that they would win the three-match final in just two games, so we had to perform admirably. We did, and we won 2-0,” Rohit added.
He went on to say that Tendulkar was exceptional over the two finals, completely knowing the bowlers. He also mentioned that Master Blaster had approached him and told him what to expect. Which greatly aided him. He continued by saying that Tendulkar’s judgment enabled him to make an important contribution to the team.
“The third final was unnecessary, and Paaji was outstanding in the first two finals.” He was reading the bowlers extremely well and knew exactly what they were about to throw at me. In fact, he would come up to me and tell me what to expect, which was quite helpful. “I could trust his judgment while batting, which allowed me to contribute significantly to the team,” Rohit concluded.
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