The discussion on Sachin Tendulkar`s qualities as a batsman hogged much limelight right through his international career. But it isn`t possible that a man can be all about hard work and no fun. However dedicated someone may be, there has to be something he does to relax and switch off from the intensity of playing cricket at the highest level for 24 long years. And our own `God of Cricket` was no different.
Mid-Day caught up with the `Master Blaster` days ahead of his 50th birthday. The former Indian batting talisman, during the 45-minute-long candid conversation, recalled how playing pranks was his way of making people around him comfortable, as most youngsters coming into the squad were in awe of the legend.
“Right from my U-15 days, I was always up to something, and I enjoyed doing that. And when somebody did that to me, I had to accept it. There are both good and disappointing moments on the field, but how you overcome those challenges…if you are in the right space (of mind), you are prepared to go out the next morning. The process is much faster to get into that zone. If you are not in the right space mentally, that process takes time. Sometimes it’s too late, when you are back in the dressing room, you start thinking slowly, so it is important to not get into that mode where you cannot overcome those challenges. So, it was important to have lighter moments off the field.”
Sachin recalled how he, former national selector Jatin Paranjape, and Kedar Godbole played a prank on Ganguly by flooding his room. “I remember Sourav was sleeping during an afternoon. Jatin, Kedar, and I filled his room with water. (laughs) He woke up and was naturally clueless about what was happening, as he found his suitcases floating. It took him little time to realise it was the three of us who had done it,” he said.
There are many who thrive on their sense of humour, especially when it comes to April Fools` pranks. Tendulkar agreed in unison. Every single year, a certain day comes around that provides everyone the opportunity to live out their comedic dreams. All of us have heard of putting a whoopee cushion on a chair or prank-calling friends, but these antics are somewhat anticipated when the day rolls around. As everyone knows that April 1 could be filled with various high jinks, it is more rewarding to get extra creative and startle someone in truly unexpected ways. The `Bradman of Modern Era` was not creative in a cricket battlefield alone, as one of his many pranks on Ganguly almost made the latter quit Team India captaincy.
Ganguly was going through a lean patch around the time when Sachin and Harbhajan Singh decided to crack him up. The duo came up with a fake newspaper printing describing how Dada was unhappy with the team`s performance. Later, when he stepped into the dressing room, everyone began looking at him and asked him about the news. Without knowing that it was a prank, Ganguly almost decided to resign and hand over the captaincy to someone else.
“Dada was like `main bhagwan ka kasam khata hun maine kuch nahi kiya, agar kuch rahega toh main chhodke jayunga` (I swear to God I haven`t said anything like this, if there had been a problem, I would have stepped down from captaincy). Then we told him, Dada, it`s April 1 today,” laughed Sachin.
For most in India`s then Playing XI, Tendulkar remains the boy-next-door. Only that they now lead different lives. Who knows? Maybe, he is right now revelling in the thought to catch someone off guard and play the perfect prank!
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