On 50th Birthday, Sachin Thanks Media For Providing Support

Saturday 22 April 2023

Mumbai: “As soon as I walked in here, I was made to realise that I am going to be 50, when people addressed me as “Kashe ahaat tumhi”, joked batting great Sachin Tendulkar as he met the Mumbai media who have been part of his cricketing journey at the CCI’s CK Nayudu Hall on Friday, as part of his 50th birthday celebrations. Tendulkar would be turning 50 on April 24 and the word tumhi in Marathi is used for someone who is middle-aged and respected.

Recounting his relationship with the media, Tendulkar stressed that sports journalists had played an important role in his career. “I have always believed that appreciation amplifies performance. The way you appreciated all my efforts, gave me strength to go out and try harder. I wasn’t always successful. I stumbled along the way. But this beautiful sport taught me to get back on my feet again. And move forward. But to move forward, you provided that fuel. On an empty tank, I don’t think I would have covered the distance that I did,” he stressed.

Tendulkar stated that during his playing days, there used to be a lot more interaction between the players and the press. “We used to have journalists sitting in the same room and having a meal with us. I don’t know if that happens today. Those things brought us closer to each other. From a journalist’s point of view, if you get to know an individual off the field too, you know what is going on in the players’ minds and you know how to cover moments when there are ups and downs,” he stated.

However, his relationship got off on a rocky note as a story about his first school hundred being carried without his picture caused him a lot of grief. “When I scored my first school hundred, it was covered beautifully, but my photograph wasn’t carried. And all my friends said, ‘Arre, tera photo aaya hi nahin. Sabka aata hain, tera nahin aaya.”

His parents and family members though consoled him with there will always be a next time. Tendulkar says he was still agitated. “My father ended up meeting his friend, who had a few contacts as he was a writer and he congratulated him on my hundred as he had read about it. My father told him everyone at home was happy except me because my friends were teasing me saying, “Tera photo nahin aaya.”

Eventually, his father’s friend got hold of Tendulkar’s picture through brother Ajit and two days later a massive write up with his picture was carried. “All my family members did not leave home for two days because they were embarrassed,” narrated Tendulkar on Friday.

The legendary cricketer also thanked the media for providing son Arjun the space to develop as a cricketer. “When I retired, you guys again hosted a fantastic afternoon for me here, at this venue, and I had made a request to allow Arjun to fall in love with cricket. My plea then was as a father, not a cricketer. Ten years have passed, and I must thank you for giving him that space and allowing him to fall in love with cricket. Today, in Arjun, we see a 23-year-old mature guy who is madly in love with cricket who doesn’t want anything else in life.”