"I had to wear dark glasses during the practice sessions, because at times I could not hold back my tears"

On Sachin ❤️ | & His Record Partnership

ICC World Cup

23 May 1999 ❤️

[India vs Kenya]

#memoriesfromdiaries

After a brief hiatus, our Videocon television set was finally on its way back home after its IC - Integrated Circuit - was successfully replaced by the service people at Videocon.

My brother, wanting to make sure that nothing comes between us and the World Cup match in the offing, 😊 was quite busy fixing up on a broken wire in the antenna when - to our shock - he cut his palm slightly in the process.

Remember those sky-high antennas that adorned the rooftops of all our houses in the 80s and 90s, - antennas that were albeit decorated with bird droppings on all sides 😊– those good ol’ outdoor TV antennas that helped us receive the DD broadcasts with such good reception! Again, TV lore has it that, the higher the antenna, the better the reception!  😊

Personal diary entry, dt 23 May 1999

So yes, we had to make a quick SoS to our veteran electrician to help us fix the wire to the antenna and hey presto, the TV set was back in action in no time, - and right in time for the ICC World Cup fixture between India and Kenya.

Well, today’s match was memorable in many ways, and that’s hence this blessed post! 😊

Firstly, this was Tendulkar’s first match that he played in International Cricket after his father’s demise!

Back from Mumbai, the legend scored an unbeaten 140 runs off just 101 balls, with Dravid at 104 off 109 balls, to take India’s total to 329/2 in 50 overs.  

23 May 1999 - India vs Kenya @ the ICC World Cup Match

Only two wickets had fallen for the Indian side [Ramesh and Ganguly].

Secondly, this partnership of 337 runs between Dravid and Sachin was considered a record partnership back then!

In response, Kenya could only manage a meagre 235/7.

On the Indian bowling front, Debashish Mohanty was on fire, scalping four wickets in quick succession to help India beat Kenya by 94 runs.

Finally, Tendulkar’s recollection about this incident in his autobiography.

Yes, Tendulkar recollects on this particular incident, with such poignancy in his autobiography titled, Playing it My Way.

Says he –

I couldn’t sleep for many nights having lost my biggest inspiration.

And it was a deeply emotional moment for all of us when the watchmen, postmen and all the other people he had helped during his life came over for his funeral.

I put a gold coin with my face on it in his pocket before the cremation, so that I could always be there with him. Without my father, my life would never be the same again.

‘A very difficult tournament’

After spending four days in India, I returned to England to rejoin the team on the eve of the match against Kenya.

That, it seemed to me, was what my father would have wanted me to do, and that’s what prompted the decision to return to London to play the remaining World Cup matches.

Mentally, however, I was not at my best throughout the tournament. I had to wear dark glasses during the practice sessions, because at times I could not hold back my tears.

Though I managed to score a hundred in the match against Kenya – which remains one of my most cherished centuries, one I dedicated to my father – my mind was not always on the game.

writes Sachin, in his Autobiography.

You may want to read a review on Sachin’s Autobiography on our past blog post HERE.

You may also be interested in watching/listening to the Book Review on his Autobiography, on our YouTube channel, HERE.

Interestingly, Tendulkar is one of the very few players to have represented India in a record six World Cups, in a career spanning 24 years.

Such is his devotion, dedication, and commitment to the game!

PS: To access a few of my past diary entries, on some such cherishable / memorable past events, that had happened decades ago, try keying in the hashtag #memoriesfromdiaries on Google. 

And yes! Until we meet up on yet another interesting diary entry from times past, here's me signing off for now. Stay tuned. Stay blessed. ❤️

Love,

Rufus

Pic Courtesy: espncrickinfo.com