Sachin Tendulkar’s 24-year-long career is not that he merely had the desire to carry on for so long but that he took care of himself well enough to be able to do so. For the first half of his career, Tendulkar was barely bothered by an injury and played through a lot of pain. It was 12 years before he missed his first Test match. In the two years after August 2004, when tennis elbow, his most serious injury and a shoulder injury afflicted him and accounted to much loss of hope.
Talking about Sachin Injuries and pain, Robin Uthappa opened up about how Sachin Tendulkar played with the pain in the Commonwealth Bank Series which was held in Australia in 2008. Only one can imagine beating an Australian side on their soil back then, but it was Sachin Tendulkar who changed the perception with his batting masterclass. Little Master scored 117* in the first final and 91 in the second final helping the team register memorable series win.
Robin Uthappa : Today At 35, I Want To Tell You, He Was Bang On
Robin Uthappa reveals, Tendulkar was not completely fit – in fact, the master was batted “through a lot of pain” in the finals, and had the situation reached the third final, Tendulkar was unlikely to play in it. Robin Uthappa marvels at the legend’s commitment and determination towards the side for playing through severe pain.
“You won’t believe it, Sachin Tendulkar… I call him paaji. He played with a lot of pain in that Commonwealth Bank series. He was not ok physically and he played through a lot of pain. There were times when he would wince in pain. We would ask him if he’s ok and he’ll be like ‘I’m fine’. He would always put the requirement of the team ahead and he would always do that. He played through a lot of pain,” Robin Uthappa said on The Grade Cricketer Podcast.
“I remember we had a conversation with him in that series where he said ‘Robin, it’s so hard to keep yourself fit after 32, 33 and 34, because it gets that much more challenging, Injuries start taking a toll. I was just 21 or 22 when I had that conversation and I said ‘no paaji, you’re just saying this’. He said ‘Robin, when you’re 35, let’s have a conversation and see if you agree with me or not.’ And today at 35, I want to tell you, he was bang on,” Uthappa concluded.
Tendulkar tailored his game to make the most efficient use of a body that demanded increasing attention. Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar managed to finish his career with over 34,000 runs, making him one of the greatest ever to play the sport.
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