Millions of eyes cried tears of joy and grief on November 16, 2013, when cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar, who is known as the “God” of cricket, chose to retire from the sport.

Tens of thousands of Sachin Tendulkar’s followers waited in the Wankhede stadium holding their breaths as the joy of witnessing the last glimpse of their favorite Indian cricketer on his home ground overcame them as he delivered his final speech with strangled words and moist eyes.

It would be sinful to not be familiar with this man in India, where cricket is the national sport and the stadiums chant the infamous “Sachin….Sachin”. This man has left fans all over the world in awe with his exquisite strokes, timeless elegance, cool demeanor on the field, and unwavering dedication to the game.

Yes, we are referring to Sachin Tendulkar, also known as the Cricket God. Additionally, you can view carefully chosen, previously untold stories here:

Many national and international athletes who dare to dream have been inspired by the “Little Master’s” unmatched career, which was further glorified by the big records he set and broke.

10 Fascinating Facts about Sachin Tendulkar

We’re going to share with you ten fascinating facts about his life, some of which have remained largely unexplored:

1) Sachin Tendulkar is regarded as the greatest batsman of all time. But did you know that his dream was to play fast bowling? However, Australian icon Dennis Lillee advised him to concentrate on his batting when he visited the MRF Pace Foundation.

2) Sachin Tendulkar uses his right hand to pitch and bat. However, he uses his left hand to write. As a result, this tale is also ambidextrous.

3) Australian pacer Brett Lee struck out Sachin Tendulkar a record 14 times. The highest by any bowler is this.

4) Sachin still owns the Maruti-800 that served as his first vehicle.

5) Sachin served as the ball boy during the India vs. Zimbabwe game at the Wankhede Stadium during the 1987 World Cup. At the same location, he won the World Cup for India 24 years later.

6) When Abdul Qadir and Javed Miandad left for lunch in 1987, Sachin was brought in as a replacement fielder for Pakistan’s tour of India.

In his book “Playing it My Way,” Sachin recalls this incident and writes, “I don’t know whether Imran Khan remembers this or has any idea that I once played for his Pakistan team.”

7) Sachin Tendulkar was the first international batsman to be sent out by third umpire Jonty Rhodes during India’s 1992 match against South Africa.

8) Tendulkar’s coach Ramakant Achrekar used to reward him with a Re 1 coin anytime he made it through a full practice session without being sent off. The 13 coins have been retained by this cricketing legend up to this point.

9) Sachin received a bottle of champagne in Manchester, in 1990, after scoring the first Test century in his career. However, as British law forbade anyone under the age of 18 from drinking, he had to wait 8 years until cracking open the bottle on his daughter Sara’s first birthday in 1998.

10) Sachin Tendulkar is the only cricketer from India to have won the Arjuna Award, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, and Padma Shri. Additionally, he was awarded the “Bharat Ratna,” the highest civilian accolade.