Among the numerous bonds that Virat Kohli has formed with fellow international cricketers over a remarkable career, the one with Sachin Tendulkar is perhaps the most reverential. Now, with Kohli having hung up his Test bat, Tendulkar recalled a heartwarming instance from his own red-ball retirement that depicted Kohli's sheer regard for the 52-year-old.
Sachin reminisced how Kohli offered to give him his late father's sacred thread, as a mark of the love and respect he harboured for the 'Master Blaster'. Moved by the gesture, the senior pro had refused, but the thought stayed with him.
"As you retire from Tests, I'm reminded of your thoughtful gesture 12 years ago, during my last Test. You offered to gift me a thread from your late father. It was something too personal for me to accept, but the gesture was heartwarming and has stayed with me ever since. While I may not have a thread to offer in return, please know that you carry my deepest admiration and very best wishes," Tendulkar wrote on social media platform X.
"Your true legacy, Virat, lies in inspiring countless young cricketers to pick up the sport... What an incredible Test career you have had! You have given Indian cricket so much more than just runs – you have given it a new generation of passionate fans and players. Congratulations on a very special Test career," he added in tribute to Kohli.
Indeed, the duo share a special rapport right from the start. Kohli, who lost his father as a teenager and has often talked about the void it created in his life, has said that Tendulkar has been his idol, and an ultimate role model.
In 2008, when Kohli made his international debut during a Sri Lanka tour, Tendulkar was part of the squad. The (then) young turk was understandably in awe of the veteran, of which his teammates took advantage in a hilarious prank.
Kohli later narrated the incident to media personality Gaurav Kapur at the latter's show Breakfast With Champions in 2017. Kohli said: “My first interaction with him (Tendulkar) was very funny. I had prepared for two days only to meet him. To meet Sachin Tendulkar in the Indian dressing room.
"Now some guys found out... I must have spoken with someone about feeling nervous. They played a prank on me, telling me that all rookies have to pay their respects by touching Sachin라이브 바카라 feet. And I took them seriously. So I went to greet him.
"Just as I was about to touch his feet he says, ‘what are you doing?’ I tell him, ‘they told me I had to touch your feet out of respect when I meet you’. He says, ‘no, no they are just pulling your leg’. So that was my first interaction with Sachin."
He had also carried Tendulkar on his shoulders during a victory lap after India won the 2011 World Cup. This was after famously proclaiming that "Sachin Tendulkar carried the burden of the entire nation for 21 years, so it's time we carried him on our shoulders".
With time, as Kohli's career blossomed, comparisons with Tendulkar began to be made. But the Delhi batter always quashed them, musing how he could be compared with someone who inspired him to take up the game.
And then the talk of the 100 hundreds began. Tendulkar retired with exactly 100 centuries across international formats, and Kohli was looked at as the only possible candidate to emulate that dizzying feat.
Kohli currently stands at 82, but will now only be playing one-day internationals, and it appears unlikely that he will scale the century of centuries peak. But regardless of the numbers that he ends up with, and how they compare with Tendulkar's, the duo will always be bound by that 'thread' of mutual respect.
