The opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly remains as one of the deadliest combinations not only in Indian cricket but the whole world. From several match-winning partnerships to smashing records at ease, the iconic duo was a nightmare for the fiercest of bowling attacks. A journey that started as incredibly talented rookies, went on to create history, leaving footprints on the sands of time.
Even after years of hanging up their boots, the two absolute gentlemen of the game continues to share a bond full of love and respect. A bond, which continues to strengthen with time.
In his episode on ‘Breakfast with Champions’, Sourav Ganguly threw light on his friendship with the ‘Master Blaster’ and some hilarious memories from the vault.
Ganguly revealed how Tendulkar’s passion for the game was clearly visible in his initial days. According to the left-handed genius, Tendulkar would continue to bat in the nets for hours and left only when he was pulled out forcefully.
“I saw Tendulkar for the first time, with such long hair, he was from Bombay and quite famous back then. He can’t be taken off from the nets. He used to bat always. Vasu sir used to pull him off nets, saying ‘camp is for others too’. I knew he had something different from that time.”
Dada also highlighted one particular habit of Sachin’s which scared the hell out of him. In an interesting revelation, Ganguly mentioned that the ‘God of Cricket’ used to sleepwalk.
“We were roommates in England. So, one day I saw he was walking in the room. I said to myself, he must gone to the bathroom and I slept facing the other side. I didn’t ask him anything the next day. Second day, I again saw him walking in the room. So I woke up and sat thinking, what does he do at 1.30 in the night. He takes a round in the room and then sits on the chair, returns and then sleeps next to me.”
When a scared Ganguly asked Sachin about his weird habit at night, this is what he said.
“So next day I told him, ‘you’re scaring me, what do you do at night?’ He said ‘No, I walk while sleeping’…He had this habit of sleepwalking.”
Wow, that was an epic break, Dada! 😀 Cricketers will come and go, but there won’t be another pair like the evergreen Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.