Sachin Tendulkar Reveals Why He Returned A 'Special' Retirement Gift From Virat Kohli Back To Him

One of the all-time greatest batters, Sachin Tendulkar revealed how he returned a gift from Virat Kohli that he had gifted him after he retired from international cricket. Tendulkar, who had made his debut for India in 1989, played his final Test match in 2013 against the West Indies at his home ground of Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are two of the most decorated cricketers in Indian cricket. Kohli grew up idolizing Tendulkar and was part of the Indian cricket team when the Master Blaster called it quits. Kohli took up the mantle at no.4 and has gone on to become a great of the modern era himself.

Tendulkar played 200 Tests, making 15921 runs with 51 centuries at an average of 53.78. He also played 463 ODIs, making 18426 runs with 49 centuries at an average of 44.83 and best of 200*. He also featured in one T20I and made 10 runs. In his international career, Tendulkar also took 201 wickets with his mix of leg-spin, off-spin, and medium-pace bowling.

This Is Priceless And Is Your Property. And You Should Have It Till Your Last Breath: Sachin Tendulkar On Virat Kohli Gifting Him A Scared Thread Given To Him By His Late Father

When Sachin Tendulkar called time on his career in November 2013 after playing 24 years of international cricket, he recalls Virat Kohli giving him a sacred thread, which was given to him by his father Prem Kohli. Virat lost his father when he was just a teenager and Tendulkar knew the importance of the object and returned it back.

In a chat with Graham Bensinger, Tendulkar said: “I was sitting in one corner alone with a towel on my head and wiping tears and I was really emotional. And at that time, Virat had come to me and Virat gave me the sacred thread that his father had given him.

And I 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 be always there in my memory, forever.”

Furthermore in the chat, Tendulkar revealed that though he had a big bank balance, he never knew the exact amount that he was getting from the BCCI for playing cricket for India. He said that he never got into specifics and only focused on scoring runs.

“It was more about the number of runs that I scored, not how big my bank account was – didn’t matter. For me, when I started at that time in 1989 till the end of my career, I did not know how much I was getting paid to play for India, because I never looked at it that way,” he said.

Also Read: Even If I Go And Watch Arjun’s Games, I’m Hiding Somewhere – Sachin Tendulkar Reveals He Doesn’t Want His Son To Feel Any Pressure