Ajay Jadeja: Tendulkar's personal belongings lasted as long as his innings
On Sachin Tendulkar's 47th birthday, former Team India teammate Ajay Jadeja reminisced about the first time he played along with Tendulkar.
Published : Apr 24, 2020 20:23 IST
On Sachin Tendulkar's 47th birthday, former Team India teammate Ajay Jadeja took a walk down memory lane, reminiscing about the first time he played along with Tendulkar. "It was in 1987. Former Rajasthan cricketer Kailash Gattani took Star Club of India on a tour to England. Among the promising cricketers from all over the country, was Tendulkar. That's the first tour I remember going with him," Jadeja said.
"I have some wonderful memories from that trip. It's always great to have him (Sachin) around. Today, we think of him as the 'God' of cricket and this very responsible man but don't forget, back in the day he was just a teenager: always jovial, with some or the other prank up his sleeve. That said, you give him a bat and a ball and it was all about cricket. Other than that, he was like any other young boy of his age."
Jadeja replaced an injured Atul Wassan during the tour to Sharjah in 1990, and the dashing right-hander recalled the time Tendulkar was presented with a Sony Walkman. "That tour had his birthday as well. He was presented a yellow Sony Walkman .. fans over the years must have seen him walking around with it. He took really good care of all his belongings, so they always lasted long like his innings.
"But I remember in those days, it was all about teamwork.. so if one player was wearing headphones and the others weren't, then he was considered antisocial. Some seniors didn't like it ... However, today if you look around, every other player walks out wearing headphones and planning his game. In that sense, Sachin was ahead of his time even then."