Sachin Tendulkar, the “Master Blaster,” registered his name in the history books as arguably the greatest cricketer to ever play for India. Through his exploits with the bat, and occasionally with the ball, Tendulkar decimated the morale of his opponents. He not only set batting benchmarks that will arguably never be broken but also inspired millions. As one reflects on Tendulkar’s career in international cricket, an intriguing and often forgotten incident saw him field for the Pakistan team about two years before he made his debut for India.
It all happened when Tendulkar was just 13 years old. The Pakistan team was playing at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai during their 1987 tour. The match was a 40-overs-a-side exhibition, and it was here that the teenage Tendulkar added one of the most memorable chapters to his career.
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s captain at the time, asked Tendulkar to wear the green jersey and field for his team as a substitute after Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir left during the lunch break. Imran approached Hemant Kenkre, the Cricket Club of India captain who was overseeing dressing room duties, and asked if he could borrow a couple of local youngsters as substitute fielders. Before Kenkre could look for options, an eager Tendulkar reportedly sprinted onto the turf to join Imran Khan’s men.
In fact, Tendulkar was put into action on the field when the then-Indian captain, Kapil Dev, hit a ball toward him in the outfield.
Tendulkar even spoke about this incident in his autobiography, ‘Playing it My Way’. “I don’t know whether Imran Khan remembers this or has any idea that I once fielded for his Pakistan team,” he wrote.
Tendulkar’s childhood friend, Marcus Couto, who traveled home with Sachin on a Mumbai local train that evening, once shared that the teenage prodigy was frustrated at being asked to field near the boundary. “Sachin told me that he was disappointed at being asked to field right on the boundary line,” Couto recalled. “He asked if one of those big hits was a catchable chance, and I had to tell him it was sailing towards the first tier!”
India went on to win the exhibition match by six wickets. Just two years later, Tendulkar would face Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis again, but this time wearing the India cap as an international cricketer.
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