Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is fondly called 'paaji' by his teammates. The word got associated with Sachin after his 98-run knock against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup, reveals Ashish Nehra.

Nehra, who was also part of the 2003 World Cup, said Tendulkar was called 'bhai' (brother) before the match. The reason for 'bhai' turning into 'paaji' was Harbhajan Singh.

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“Before this, we used to call him Sachin or Sachin ‘bhai’ (brother). The first time we used the word ‘paaji’ was after the 2003 World Cup match against Pakistan,” Nehra said on the 'Watch Along' episode of the India vs Pakistan 2003 match on Star Sports.

Sachin scored 98 in the match which India won by 6 wickets to maintain their unbeaten streak against Pakistan in World Cup. He was picked as the Man of the Match for his unforgettable innings.

“On our way back to the hotel, in the bus, Harbhajan Singh started singing in the back ‘Paaji No. 1’. So that’s how everyone started calling Sachin Tendulkar paaji. Before him, there was only one paaji, who was Kapil paaji.” Nehra said.