My first innings was about chasing my dreams, the second one is about satisfaction: Sachin Tendulkar

16th November 2016 – Sachin Tendulkar made a tearful but self-effacing farewell as his glittering 24-year career came to an end at his home ground the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai against the West Indies. That was one of the saddest days for India and Indian Cricket.

But the Master Blaster is not done yet, he talked about the second inning, life before and after retirement in a special LinkedIn post. Tendulkar explained the moment when he thought that his career was slowly coming to an end. ”It was October 2013 during one of the Champions League games in Delhi. My mornings would start with a gym workout, a routine I had been following for 24 years. But that morning in October, something had changed.”

“I realized that I had to force myself to wake up and go about my day. I knew that the gym training was a critical part of my cricket – something that had been my life for 24 years. Yet, there was reluctance. These were signs that I should stop,” Sachin wrote.

After retirement, as he said, he got the freedom to do whatever he wanted, instead of having to focus only on cricket. He wanted to help the needy, and that is what he has been doing as his second innings. “My first innings was about chasing my dreams, the second one is about satisfaction. I want to give back to the game, that has made me what I am, to society and to the less fortunate. The scope has changed but the objective and drive of doing my best, remains, “ he said.

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He further went on to introduce his off-field projects as an entrepreneur and social worker. Sachin describes his journey as a non-cricketer which began 3 years ago, and calls it a ‘learning phase’.

Watch the full interview here