'I started copying his shots whenever he came to bat' - Virender Sehwag reveals Sachin Tendulkar's impact on early development as cricketer

Former Indian cricketer and one of the most entertaining opening batters of all time, Virender Sehwag, is renowned for his strong bond with his former opening partner and batting icon Sachin Tendulkar. Sehwag shared an interesting tale from his early years of how he got inspired by the iconic cricketer as a youngster during the 1992 World Cup.

Virender Sehwag, who was renowned for his aggressive stroke-making ability during his playing days, is one of the most honest cricket experts on the scene. In the latest interview of Breakfast with Champions with Gaurav Kapoor, Sehwag revealed the story of how Sachin Tendulkar inspired him to take up the profession.

"I had no idea I'd play cricket when I started watching him. I started watching cricket during the 1992 World Cup. When I learnt that it (WC) is going to be held in Australia, we'd go to the neighbour's house to watch the matches because we didn't have cable at that time. 

That is when my neighbour told me about Sachin Tendulkar. He was like 19 years old at that time, and I was like, 'wow', I started copying his shots whenever he came to bat. My brothers used to mock me, saying, 'sit down, you won't become Tendulkar by copying his shots'. From thereon I started watching and playing cricket. I started with the tennis ball then moved on to the leather ball," Sehwag said on his inspiration behind taking up cricket.

He told me to move on and try different food items: Sehwag

The former Indian international also revealed that it was Sachin who introduced the Delhi-borne cricketer to foreign cuisines like Sushi during their tour of Australia. Sehwag revealed that he belonged to a vegetarian household and only started consuming chicken after he left home to pursue cricket. 

"He took me out when we were in Australia from 2003-04, and he said we will have Sushi. I said 'what is this Sushi?'. He said we were going to a Japanese restaurant. I wondered what the food will be, I was expecting dal, roti and all. Sachin held his head and told me to move on and try different food items," Sehwag revealed.