‘I couldn’t control tears’: Sachin Tendulka recalls Kohli’s ‘priceless’ gift to him
The picture of Virat Kohli lifting Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders after India won the 2011 World Cup is etched in our memories. Kohli was playing his first World Cup for India and watching his idol finally win the prestigious tournament in his 6th and final attempt, like many, was a dream come true for the then-India youngster. Maybe nothing summarized the whole country’s emotions better than that one line from Kohli at the Wankhede Stadium: “He has carried the burden of the nation for 23 years. It is time we carried him on our shoulders”.
It has been nine years since Tendulkar retired, and Kohli has succeeded the legendary batter as the quintessential star of Indian cricket. The discussion regarding who is the better batsman among Tendulkar and Kohli may go on forever, however it’s a well known fact that the two legends have the utmost respect for the other. Kohli and Sachin have had numerous stories together however one of the most heart-warming exchanges between the two occurred after Tendulkar’s farewell Test in Mumbai in 2013.
“Oh, I still remember it. I had just returned to the change room and I was in tears. Till then, I knew that yes, I am going to retire but when that ball was done, I said to myself… ‘Ok, that’s it. Never ever in your life you will walk out on the field as an international player for India’. So I was sitting in one corner alone with a towel on my head and wiping tears. I was really emotional and couldn’t control my tears. Virat came to me at that time, and he gave me the sacred thread that his father had given him,” Sachin told American journalist Graham Ben singer during a show on his YouTube channel.
“I kept that for a while and returned it to him… told him it is priceless. This has to stay with you. This is yours and no one else’s. You should have it till your last breath. And I gave it back to him. So that was an emotional moment… something that will always be with me in my memory forever.”
