Sachin Tendulkar reveals one of the most valuable advices which Ravi Shastri gave him during his early days

Regarded as the ‘God of Cricket’, Sachin Tendulkar had an impeccable career and went on to become one of the most successful batsmen to brace the game. The right-hander is considered the most worshipped player of the sport and his record speaks for the class with he possessed.

In an illustrious career spanning over two decades, the right-hander amassed 18426 runs in ODIs and 15921 runs in Tests. Exemplary technique combined with gritty mentality– the Master Blasters thrashed many bowling lineups during the course of his career. However, during the start of his career, many individuals played a pivotal role in shaping up a young Sachin Tendulkar’s cricketing journey.

Recently, Tendulkar shared a piece of advice that the current Indian head coach Ravi Shastri had given to him in his early days and it later changed his life forever. Tendulkar revealed that he had to endure several blows to his body while facing a fierce Pakistan bowing force during his debut.

‘Wasim and Waqar were bowling quick’: Sachin Tendulkar

After getting dismissed on 15 runs, the right-hander believed that the game could be his ‘first and the last outing’. But Tendulkar said that a suggestion from current coach Ravi Shastri changed everything for him.

“The teammates realised. I still remember the conversation I had with Ravi Shastri. Ravi said, ‘you played as if it was a school match. You are playing against the best bowlers; you need to respect their ability and their skill.”

“Then I told Ravi that I got beaten by their (Pakistan bowlers) pace. To which Ravi said: ‘That happens to quite a few, you don’t worry. You just look to go out and spend half an hour in the middle and then you will get adjusted to their pace, and everything will fall into place after that’,” said Tendulkar during ‘Nasser meets Sachin’ episode on Skysports.

“Wasim and Waqar were bowling quick, and they were delivering short balls and all sorts of intimidating things they could do. I had never experienced anything like that, so the first outing wasn’t a pleasant one,” he added.

Tendulkar also revealed his experience of playing the second Test at Faisalabad. The Master Blaster revealed that he had decided not to look at the scoreboard in that match. After spending time at the crease for about half an hour, Tendulkar felt really comfortable and gathered 59 runs in that match.

“When I was picked to play in the second Test at Faisalabad, the only thing on my mind was, I’m not gonna look at the scoreboard. I will only look at the clock and not worry about scoring runs. I batted for half an hour, and I felt really comfortable and I scored 59 runs in that match and after that things started changing,” said Tendulkar on his knock.