Sudhir Kumar Gautam was back in the stands as Sachin Tendulkar walked in to bat in the nets. He waved the tri-colour, blew the conch and cheered.
Tendulkar paused for a few seconds, looked at his favourite fan and went about his business. For the next half an hour, the Brabourne Stadium witnessed the icon going hammer and tongs at the nets bowlers.
It rekindled memories. Every time Tendulkar struck a drive or went for a pull, it was a flashback to the good old times of Indian cricket. His teammates — Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Irfan Pathan, Sanjay Bangar — all watched in awe as the Master sweated it out in the nets.
Who would say it’s been seven long years since Tendulkar retired from international cricket! At 46, he still looked hungry for runs.
A few metres away, one of his old friends — Muttiah Muralitharan — was spinning it out in the nets. As the spin wizard came up with the unplayable doosras, his teammates in Sri Lanka Legends, had a tough time.
And adding to their woes, on came Chaminda Vaas. Breathing fire, the former Lankan ace looked as if he was preparing for an international fixture.
Over the next couple of weeks many such freeze frames are likely to go viral as some of the legends of world cricket pad up for the UnAcademy Road Safety World Series.
A tournament for a cause, the event will see five teams — India Legends, South Africa Legends, West Indies Legends, Sri Lanka Legends and Australia Legends — slugging it out for the title.
And, as Yuvraj pointed out, there will be a lot to play for. “The body tires, but then it’s good to regroup with the legends of Indian cricket. The tournament is for a good cause — road safety.
A lot of people will be watching us, so we are looking forward to giving our best,” Yuvraj, who quit the game last year, said.
Like many of his old friends, Yuvraj is looking forward to playing under the captaincy of Tendulkar.
In the opening fixture on Saturday, Tendulkar’s India Legends will play Brian Lara-led West Indies Legends at the Wankhede Stadium and the organisers claim that all tickets for the game are sold out.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be back as players. It’s going to be reminiscing old times and playing matches in between,” former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar said as he watched Tendulkar.
The shutterbugs gathered near the pitch, their lenses solely focused on Tendulkar. And, as he walked back to the dressing room after a long session, the huge demands for selfies said it all — it’s yesterday once more!
