Why Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar returned a “priceless” gift from Virat Kohli

Team Udayavani, Feb 18, 2022, 12:34 PM IST

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Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar is considered to be one of the cricket legends. His retirement from cricket, nearly a decade ago, was an emotional moment not just for him but also for his teammates.

Recently during an interview with Graham Bensinger, Sachin Tendulkar recalled an emotional moment from his retirement wherein he had got a priceless gift from Virat Kohli but then returned it to him after keeping it for a while adding that the memory of that moment however will be etched in his memory forever.

Kohli had reportedly gifted Tendulkar a sacred thread, given to him by his late father Prem Kohli, after the latter’s final match for India in 2013. This was Kohli’s way of expressing respect to the batting legend for what he achieved for his country over the years.

“I still remember, I just had returned to the dressing room and I couldn’t control my tears. Till then, I knew I was gonna retire but when that ball was done, I said to myself ‘That’s it, never ever in your life you will out on the field as an international player for India’. So I was sitting in one corner alone, with a towel on my head, wiping tears and I was really emotional. At that time, Virat had come to me and Virat gave me the sacred thread that his father had given him.

“Kept that for a while and then returned that to him again. I said this is priceless and this has to stay with you and no one else. This is your property and you should have it till your last breath and I gave it back to him. So that was an emotional moment, something which will always stay in my memory, forever,” Tendulkar was quoted telling Bensinger in the interview.

On son Arjun Tendulkar, the batting maestro admitted that he does not watch Arjun play and when he does so, he watches the game without anyone’s knowledge. He revealed that he wanted Arjun to play freely and not pressurize him, especially under the watchful eyes of his father.

In an earlier interview, Kohli had told Bensinger that he couldn’t think of anything more valuable to give Tendulkar for inspiring him.

“We usually wear threads around our wrists. In India, a lot of people do. So my father gave one to me, which he used to have. So I used to keep that with me in my bag. And then I thought this is the most valuable thing I have. So, my father gave this to me and I think I couldn’t give you anything more valuable I just want you to know how much you have inspired me and what you mean to all of us and this is my little gift to you,” Kohli had told Bensinger.