Sachin Tendulkar recalls Baroda connection from early days in cricket

Sachin Tendulkar. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Trust Sachin Tendulkar to find a cricketing connection to almost every aspect of his life.

Signed as the brand ambassador of Bank of Baroda, the 51-year-old Tendulkar on Monday went back to his U-15 days, recalling a century he made in the city as a teen batting sensation some 38 years ago.

"Not many guys present in this room would know that the first hundred that I scored for Mumbai in any official tournament, any age group, happened in Baroda," Tendulkar told a gathering of people after being unveiled as the bank's brand ambassador.

"I think it was in (the) year '86 that I scored my first hundred, playing an under-15 tournament. We were playing Maharashtra and I scored 123 in Baroda."

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Despite retiring from the game more than a decade ago, the Little Master's memory needs only a few seconds to remember cricket connections with different aspects of his life.

Tendulkar recalled being named in Mumbai's squad for Ranji Trophy but not finding a place in the team for a contest in Baroda.

"It did not stop there. After that, when I was picked to play for Mumbai Ranji team, I was in the probables. I didn't get a chance to play in the playing eleven, but coincidentally, that match was also in Baroda."

"At that time, I actually got an opportunity to visit your founder's (Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Maharaja of Baroda) palace. Just take a look at the special things that he's got in the palace.

"If I'm not mistaken, I (have also) played against Samarjit Gaekwad (former Baroda player). So he's from Gaekwad family," he added.

Tendulkar, who holds the record of playing most ODIs in career for any player with 463 appearances, also remembered correctly that it was at Vadodara where he played his 400th match.

"Over a period of time, there were a number of special things that happened to me in Baroda. I think my 400th ODI match was also played in Baroda. So the association only got concretised more and more," he said.

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