SACHIN BIRTHDAY SPECIAL: Anjali was not Sachin’s first love, that order from the restaurant exposed him

New Delhi. What to write on Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday? This is the first thought that comes to mind. Almost every story, every achievement and every record on this player who is called the God of Cricket has already been put into words. Then I thought, why not talk about a different aspect of him today, an aspect which is outside the field, but is equally interesting. This is the story of Sachin and his love for food, which makes them more human and closer.

Sachin is very fond of food, and this is not a hidden thing. In an interview, Sachin told that once he went out to eat with Anjali and ordered many dishes at once. Anjali thought that Sachin had ordered food for both of them, so she did not order anything. But he was surprised when Sachin asked him to order his food, because he himself was going to eat whatever he had ordered.

omelette on the beach in brazil

The funniest incident related to food happened during the 2016 Rio Olympics. At that time Sachin had a fracture in his leg and his leg was in plaster, then one of his close friends said that he would not have to face the crowd in Brazil, so he could go to the beach with us and have breakfast at a beach shack there. Sachin liked this idea very much and he immediately agreed. Sachin’s friend told that when we reached the beach, all we wanted was omelette sandwich and coconut water but everything on the menu mentioned meat and it was difficult to convince the shopkeeper that we wanted a meat-free breakfast. Then I found a person who understood English and asked him for help. He was watching us carefully and perhaps he had guessed that the person with me was someone special.

Sachin is equal to two Pelés!

The man asked Sachin’s friend who was this Sachin and the answer came that he is the greatest cricketer in the world but he was not interested in cricket, so he did not understand it. Then he was asked if he watches football, he said yes and told that he is a big fan of Messi, even though he is from Rio. Then the next question he was asked was whether he knew Pele? His eyes lit up as soon as he heard this. Pele he said, “Pele is God. The only time Sachin’s friend said that Sachin is equal to two Peles in India. He is also God for crores of people. He didn’t say much, just nodded and then he explained to the shopkeeper what we wanted, and we were served very tasty omelette sandwiches.

When we were about to finish eating, everyone saw a small crowd gathering there. We didn’t understand what was happening. Then I saw that the same person was making people stand in the queue. When I asked him what happened, he said, you said it was equal to two balls, so I called my family and friends, where would they get a chance to take a photo with two balls. This was a heart-wrenching moment. Sachin had a smile on his face and got himself photographed with everyone present there. Even today, remembering Sachin’s two-ball statement brings a smile on our faces.