Kailash Gattani and Lalchand Rajput have witnessed two of Sachin Tendulkar’s breakthrough career moments.
At the age of 14, Tendulkar got an opportunity to travel to England for the first time, representing Gattani’s Star Club of India, whereas a year later, when Tendulkar made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bombay, Rajput was the captain.
Though his talent had impressed both Rajput and Gattani, a former Rajasthan fast bowler, neither could imagine that Tendulkar would eventually go on to play 100 Tests and score 100 centuries in international cricket.
“Raj Singh (Dungarpur) first told me about Sachin and insisted that I take him to England as part of the Star Club of India’s annual tours. Back then, we would scout bright young talents from the country and take them for an exposure tour to the United Kingdom. Sachin was just 14, and I was not sure whether we should take such a young boy on a long tour,” Gattani tells Sportstar.
He shared his concerns with Dungarpur, who was his captain during the Rajasthan days. And a few days later, while Gattani was in his office, he got a call from Dungarpur, who asked him to reach the Brabourne Stadium at the earliest.
By the time he reached the venue, a Harris Shield game was underway, and a young cricketer was batting at the crease. Soon after, the young batter hit a couple of fluent drives, which impressed him. “I did not know who the batter was, but his drives reminded me of Hanumant Singh. Dungarpur was standing near me, so I told him that this young boy bats well. He looked at me with a smile and said, “Oh, you think those are good shots? You liked him?” I said yes, and then Dungapur again looked at me and said, ‘This is Sachin Tendulkar, now are you convinced to take him to England?’ I did not know what to answer,” Gattani says.
And, within a few weeks, Tendulkar’s paperwork was done and both Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli boarded the flight to England. “I showed Sachin a few players who they would be up against. They were all top-class cricketers for Yorkshire, and Sachin was a bit nervous about how he would play against them. Sachin and Kambli had sleepless nights, and they were doing drills at the dormitory in a public school,” Gattani reminisces.
Before the tour began, Gattani had given clear instructions to all the players that they should not be seen loitering around the campus after 9 pm. “I went for a round around the campus, and I saw Sachin and Kambli taking a drill. I quietly watched him and then asked him, ‘ Kya kar raha hai, Sachin?’ Sachin told me that since he would be taking on fast bowlers, he wanted to work on his footwork. Such was the keenness of the boys that they were ready to forego their sleep and prepare for the match. That’s something I don’t see in today’s players,” Gattani says.
On that tour, both Tendulkar and Kambli tackled the fast bowlers well and were consistent in their performances. “They were dedicated and determined,” Gattani says.
Rajput remembers the Bombay days
A year and a half later, Rajput, too, had a similar experience when a 15-year-old Tendulkar made it to the Bombay team. Coming into the Ranji Trophy after scoring tons of runs in age-group cricket, Tendulkar scored 100 not out on his Ranji Trophy debut against Gujarat at the Wankhede Stadium.
“He was just 15, and had scored tons of runs at the Cooch Behar Trophy, and that’s why the selectors chose him for the senior Bombay team. He was the youngest in the team and was very shy. We saw him in the nets, and back then, Raju Kulkarni was quick. I would ask him to bowl to Sachin, and he looked at ease and batted confidently. He got a hundred on debut, but nobody knew that he would go on to make it so big after that. He created history and is an institution by himself,” Rajput says.
Sachin Tendulkar (right) and Lalchand Rajput follow the course of the ball during their unbeaten third wicket partnership for the Board President’s XI Wills Trophy cricket match at the Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi on September 21, 1991. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES
After the debut game against Gujarat, the Bombay team travelled to Rajkot. Tendulkar scored 58 in the first innings against Saurashtra in that game. But Rajput remembers an incident before the match that spoke volumes about the youngster’s determination.
“Normally, the team would have breakfast together around 8.30-9 am before leaving for practice. We all waited for Sachin, but he did not turn up. A while later, we found him on the terrace of the hotel, and he was hitting the ball which was tied to a sock. He continued knocking for a while, and when I asked him why he skipped breakfast, Sachin shyly answered, ‘ Practice kar raha tha, breakfast toh baad mein bhi kar sakta hoon…’ that was his level of dedication,” Rajput says.
Despite being the youngest member of the team, Tendulkar was made comfortable. “We never made him realise that he was just 15. We treated him as an equal and that was the culture of Bombay cricket. Everyone was keen on seeing how good a player this guy was. A lot of senior cricketers turned up for his debut match, and Sachin did not disappoint them,” Rajput said.
“On the eve of his debut game, I told him to play his natural game and just back himself. Still, the pressure would have been there since he was playing at the first-class level for the first time. But as the day progressed, he stamped his class…”
While Tendulkar was shy and would sit in one corner of the dressing room, he eventually warmed up to the senior players and would take their advice on how to handle pressure. And having seen him from close quarters throughout his career, Rajput believes that it’s his dedication and commitment towards the game that made Tendulkar stand out.
“His world revolved around cricket. There are times when young cricketers get carried away and lose focus, but he never allowed that to happen. He was focused towards his game and never took the easy route. And, that made him what he is today,” Rajput explains.
From being just another promising rookie talent, Tendulkar became an institution in his long and illustrious career, and as he turns 50, both Gattani and Rajput are proud to have had the ringside view of the Master Blaster’s career-defining moments in his formative years!
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