Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar is celebrating his fiftieth birthday on April 24 (Today). Sachin Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, earning him the title – ‘God of Cricket’.
In the book ‘Sachin@50’, Ajinkya Rahane opened up about how Tendulkar motivated him to continue putting in the work and not worry about the results which turned out to be a huge morale booster for Rahane.
“We had decided to give Paaji (Sachin Tendulkar) some space, and I was astonished when he called me over. Paaji had seen me from very close and had this to say. ‘I have known you for years and have seen how much you love the game. You have been the perfect devotee and have served cricket with all the dedication and commitment over the last few years.
“You might feel hard done by what has happened so far in your career, but you should continue to be the way you are. You will get your chance, and you should grab it with both hands once you do. For the moment, you may feel it is a cruel game, but I am certain the game will take care of you in the future if you continue to serve it the way you have always done.”
He further added:
“I was stunned. For him to call me on a day like this and spend 15 minutes speaking to me was unthinkable. If I was ever in need of motivation, I had it in front of me. I can’t describe in words what that conversation meant to me.”
Ajinkya Rahane also revealed that it was Sachin Tendulkar’s hundred against Australia in the MCG Test in 1999 that gave him the inspiration to hit century against Australia at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“As skipper, I had to lead from the front. For a young team to take heart, the captain had to score. And that’s when my thoughts went back to Paaji. He scored a hundred at the MCG in 1999, and I still rate it as one of his best knocks. I remember seeing the innings five or six times before walking out, and it helped me immensely.
“I went on to score a hundred at the MCG in a Boxing Day Test, and more importantly, we won the Test match and levelled the series. After that, we went on to win the series after a spectacular effort in Brisbane, and it will forever rank as the best series win of my career. In a significant way, Paaji was with me in this victory.”