Legend’s presence: Tendulkar met Afghanistan team members on Monday forward of their match in opposition to Australia.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
It was a memorable Monday night for Afghanistan cricketers as they obtained a probability to fulfill and work together with former India captain Sachin Tendulkar on the eve of their must-win World Cup fixture in opposition to Australia.
Before their coaching obtained underway on the Wankhede Stadium on Monday night, the gamers obtained into a huddle with Tendulkar becoming a member of them for a pep-talk.
For the following 20 minutes, the gamers had a lengthy interplay with the Indian legend, who was a key member of the nation’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad, after which Tendulkar took a stroll across the pitch alongside with his previous pal Ajay Jadeja, who’s now the mentor of the Afghanistan team, and coach Jonathan Trott. He additionally spoke at size with Afghanistan Cricket Board chief Mirwais Ashraf in regards to the team’s journey up to now.
The Hindu understands that it was Jadeja who facilitated the assembly and ensured that the gamers obtained some time to select the brains of the legend.
“For a long time, the players were looking forward to meeting him. And since the team is Mumbai, Ajay sir invited him to have an interaction with the players. It was a fantastic moment,” a team supply mentioned.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, too, was excited in regards to the assembly with Tendulkar. “This is our first meeting with him,” Shahidi mentioned with a smile.
“We all are excited because he’s a legend of the game. “We were watching him on TV as a successful player. He is a role model for a lot of our players. So, it will be an exciting time for the entire team,” he mentioned.
