Mumbai: Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar showed his eye for talent a couple of years back, when he told current all-rounder Hardik Pandya that he would go on to play for Team India.
Since then, Pandya has gone step-by-step to become one of the key members of the Indian cricket team in the limited overs format, under skipper Virat Kohli.
Back then, when Pandya was still playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Mumbai Indians.
Speaking in the show ‘What the Duck’ on the Viu app, with Vikram Sathaye, Pandya revealed how he first met Sachin Tendulkar.
“My moment in seventh heaven was when everyone from the Mumbai Indians met for a get together and it was my first time, back then,” said Pandya. “So I was busy eating when suddenly someone taps on my shoulder and turn around to see Sachin standing there saying ‘hi’ to me.”
In a comic incident, Pandya revealed that he accidentally dropped his plate, when he found out that it was Sachin Tendulkar, who had tapped on his shoulder.
However, what Sachin had to say to the all-rounder, arguably changed his life as a professional cricketer.
“Later on, Sachin said that if you maintain the form you will start playing for the Indian team within a year or so. As luck would have it, within 5 months I was playing for the Indian team,” he concluded.
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