I had tears in my eyes when I received my first-class cap from Wasim Jaffer: Pravin Tambe

In India, it is not rare to see cricketers continuing to serve the game even in their late 40s. Recently, Wasim Jaffer, a giant in India’s domestic cricket, retired at the age of 42. And Pravin Tambe came quite close to becoming the oldest player to take part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year at the age of 48. Tambe was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders but he was later disqualified by the tournament’s governing body as a punishment for taking part in the T10 League in the UAE in 2018.

Yet, not many have a career like Tambe. He made his IPL debut in 2013 at the age of 42 and in 33 games that he has played in four series between 2013 and 2016. He has scored 18 runs and taken 28 wickets. However, the leg-break bowler has not got to play much at the first-class level and has played in only two first-class and six List-A matches to take seven wickets in all.

Tambe recently spoke to former India opener Aakash Chopra on ‘On The Rise’ in which he focused on various events of his life. The interview, which has a duration of 12 minutes, showed the man’s unique rise, family affairs and how his body still copes with the demands of the game.

When asked about his experience of playing in the IPL and Ranji Trophy (he has played two matches for Mumbai) on other international stages, Tambe said the Ranji cap gave him a bigger fulfilment than playing in the IPL.

‘I I had never dreamt of a moment like this’: Pravin Tambe

“To be honest with you, I was not unreally happy when I played IPL, but when I received my first class cap from Wasim Jaffer, I had tears in my eyes,” he confessed.

He also said in the interview how he committed he has been towards the game and will keep doing it in some way or another.

“I had never dreamt of a moment like this, but I always believed that if someone plays the game with all his heart, he gets what he wishes for. Cricket has given me everything,” he added.

Regarding his disqualification from the IPL, IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel told Sportstar last month that Tambe retired in 2018 and later withdrew from it but did not inform the board about it.

Here’s the video:

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Such a pleasure meeting and chatting with @pravintambeg on 'On The Rise'. Humble human being and quite an inspiration indeed. He's just 49 years old young!

A post shared by Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) on Mar 19, 2020 at 4:26am PDT