Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni are two of the greatest names in Indian cricket. The pair, through their cricketing skills on the field and their incredible humility and temperament, has won over millions across the globe.
They are the ideal role models and inspirations for any budding cricketer growing up: Tendulkar is responsible for bringing the transformation in Indian cricket with an Everest of 34357 runs he piled up; Dhoni, on the other hand, proved that you don’t need to come from the big cities to attain success at the highest level, by winning three ICC white-ball trophies, taking India to the number 1 Test ranking, and becoming arguably the greatest finisher in the game.
How old was MS Dhoni when Sachin Tendulkar made his debut:
Tendulkar made his Test debut on November 15, 1989, as a 16-year-old against the mighty Pakistani bowling attack in Karachi. And a month later, made his ODI debut on the same tour.
While Tendulkar was representing India for the first time, MS Dhoni was a little 8-year-old kid aiming for the stars with dreamy eyes in his one-bedroom-kitchen not-at-all-fancy flat in Ranchi.
Son of a pump operator, Dhoni went from having Sachin Tendulkar’s wallpaper in his room to playing and captaining and helping Tendulkar fulfil his dream of winning the World Cup. It is not to forget that Tendulkar was the one who saw the leadership spark and captaincy acumen in Dhoni when the batting maestro recommended Dhoni’s name to the selectors ahead of the 2007 T20 World Cup, which the Ranchi-born won by defeating Pakistan in the final.
For me, Dhoni gave hope and showed nothing is impossible: Tendulkar
A couple of years ago, Tendulkar recalled the first time he was introduced to the enigma that is MS Dhoni.
“I hadn’t heard about him (MS Dhoni) until he got into the Indian team. I saw him for the first time in Bangladesh during a one-day tournament. I was having a discussion with Sourav (Ganguly) and told him that this guy has something special in him and has the ability to hit the ball,” Tendulkar wrote in his column for The Indian Express.
“For me, MS gave hope and showed nothing is impossible. He was talented and talent is something that will find its way. If somebody is talented, nobody can stop him.”
Tendulkar added: “The one quality I liked about him was his calmness. It’s something that helped him be so successful. He has given joy to so many people around the globe and inspired so many youngsters to play this sport.”
