Mumbai: Once upon a time (in Mumbai), deceased Australian cricketer met the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and spent an hour with him over lunch at Bandra Kurla Complex here.
It was in 2009, when Hughes – dropped after the second Ashes Test – came to India to consult his childhood coach Neil D’ Costa to rectify his flaws against pace.
On hearing Hughes’ desire to meet the Master Blaster, D’ Costa – the then head coach of Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Residential Academy – asked former Vidarbha cricketer Prashant Vaidya to arrange the meeting. Tendulkar agreed and the Australian came to Mumbai.
Apparently, former India pacer Subroto Banerjee – also the coach of current India speedsters Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav – accompanied Hughes when he met the cricket legend. It was learnt that the interaction helped him sort out his batting problems and left him overjoyed and mentally strong.
The Australian, according to sources, asked the Master about his early days to study the mental approach of a cricketer when beginning his career, apart from training methods.
