Dubai: Sachin Tendulkar’s No.10 jersey, which he wore while playing with Mumbai Indians, will not be handed over to any other player. Though the legendary batsman has retired from the game, he is the icon of the Mumbai Indians and sits in the dugout wearing his favourite jersey.
Speaking to Gulf News, Leeladhar Singh, the media manager in charge of the Mumbai Indians, said on Friday: “We had decided to retire the No.10 jersey worn by Tendulkar. He is our icon and he will inspire us from the dugout wearing it.”
The trend of retiring a jersey has been rare in cricket, but Mumbai Indians were lucky to have one of the greatest legends play for them and, in his farewell year in 2013, his team won both the Indian Premier League and Champions Trophy.
Tendulkar’s arrival at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Academy created a stir on Friday. Hundreds of fans, in the knowledge that Mumbai Indians would be training here, arrived to catch a glimpse of the legend. He waved at everyone and walked into the practice arena with his son Arjun. As he did in Abu Dhabi a few days ago, Tendulkar also bowled at the nets, as did his son.
Meanwhile, news has spread that Tendulkar may buy the Mumbai tennis team due to participate in the forthcoming International Tennis Premier League (ITPL), which has World No.1 Rafael Nadal on its roster. Tendulkar idolised former tennis star John McEnroe during his school days. He has recently bought the Kochi franchise in the Indian Super League, a new IPL-style football tournament due to start later this year.
A few lucky fans who managed to reach close to the practice area asked Tendulkar if they could take photos with him.
When a photographer kept his finger in front of his mobile camera lens, Tendulkar asked him to remove his finger and take the picture. When he walked out of the Academy, hundreds followed him to savour the sight of one of the greatest players the game has seen.
