Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s fandom enjoys an unparalleled level of fandom and fans swear by his name across the world. Considered the greatest cricketer ever, Sachin’s greatness is just not limited and it has been observed so often in the past that his greatness even made the opposition fans adore him.
Recalling one such incident, India cricketer Mohit Sharma speaking at an event shared a tale from the past. Playing in his last match against Haryana in Lahli, Mohit scalped the prize wicket of Sachin on five in the first innings, probably one of the biggest wickets of his cricketing career.
But Mohit’s joy soon turned into despair as, after the wicket, his own fans in the stadium turned against him and took him to task for cutting short Sachin’s innings.
“Ajay (Jadeja) bhai is quite expressive on and off the field both. I was bowling when Sachin Paaji came in to bat. The wicket in Lahli is quite conducive for bowling and Ajay bhai told me to try and get Paaji to play on the front foot. And exactly the same happened as the ball pitched on off and nipped back hitting the elbow on the way to the stumps,” Mohit said.
“But as soon as I reached my position, the crowd that had gathered to watch the match started yelling at me. These were our own guys and they had said things like I destroyed everything and I have no shame that I got the great man out and so and so forth. While I was surprised but not completely shocked because that is what Paaji is all about and his fandom and greatness transcend everything,” the Haryana pacer said during the awards show.
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Sachin’s ability to bounce back and his willingness to impart knowledge to juniors is what defines his greatness and Mohit felt that the way he batted in the second innings and took Mumbai past the winning line is something that personifies him.
“Playing on a pitch where everyone was struggling, Sachin Paaji batting alongside tailender took his team to victory single-handedly by scoring 75*. That is what Sachin Tendulkar is all about and after the innings, he came to our dressing room and spoke to the players and gave some important tips on how to deal with difficult tracks and how to adapt and change mindset according to the situation,” Mohit concluded.
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