Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has recently recalled his first meeting with Sachin Tendulkar during a Test match against New Zealand in Mumbai back in November 1988 when he wasn’t even more interested to see a 15-year-old who later went on to become “God of Cricket”.
The legendary batsman school days exploits have already made a name for the young Tendulkar and that stimulated former India coach Vasudev Paranjpe to request then captain Vengsarkar to meet the “exceptional talent” from Mumbai.
After seeing his bat at nets, former India chief selector had requested the former greats like Kapil Dev, Arshad Ayub, Maninder Singh, Chetan Sharma to bowl to young Tendulkar and everyone just left impressed with the talented cricketer.
Vengsarkar said in a Facebook Live video interview with Sportskeeda: “Actually, I had heard about Sachin because he was scoring heavily inter-school matches. These tournaments are 100 years old have given a lot of cricketers for Mumbai and for India.”
The former batsman further recalled: “At the time I was India’s captain, and I was about to play my 100th Test match against New Zealand in Mumbai. We were practicing there. Our coach Vasudev Paranjpe was very impressed with Sachin, and he said, ‘look at this boy, he’s an exceptional talent’.
I told him ‘I can look at him later, not now’. But he insisted. So, he got him on the ground, so I had to see him bat at the nets. I requested Kapil Dev, Arshad Ayub, Maninder Singh, Chetan Sharma to bowl to him. They were like ‘what is this thing like. Why should we bowl to a U-15 kid’.”
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He continued, “So I told them he has been scoring runs in school tournaments, so we have to see him how we bats. So, he batted. Hats off to those bowlers, they were established cricketers, but still, they said they will bowl for a while. But Sachin was so impressive, he played so well.”
Vengsarkar further recalled he suggested the Mumbai Ranji selection committee pick Tendulkar in the 15-man squad on the same evening when they met him.
He further added, “The same evening, we had a selection meeting to pick the Bombay team. I attended the meeting. I told them about Sachin. ‘I just saw him bat, he’s very good. So, pick him in the 15-member squad’. They said ‘it’s too early for him. If he gets injured, we will be blamed. So, we will wait for a while’. I said you keep him in the 15-member squad so that he is around the team and can learn the atmosphere of the team’,”
Eventually, Tendulkar went on to make India debut during Pakistan Tests in 1989. Vengsarkar signed off by saying, “In Duleep Trophy, he got a hundred. In Irani Trophy, he got a hundred. Then we went to Pakistan in 1989, and there came Sachin Tendulkar, and the rest is history.”
(With Hindustan Times Inputs)
