Meeting ‘idol’ Sachin Tendulkar had helped Phil Hughes grow ‘mentally’ stronger

Australian cricketer Phil Hughes, who lost his life on Thursday, considered Sachin Tendulkar as his idol. He once mentioned that meeting Tendulkar had helped him grow mentally as a cricketer.

Australian opener Phil Hughes, who lost his life on Thursday, two days after being hit on the head by a bouncer, considered Sachin Tendulkar as his idol. Hughes had once mentioned that meeting Tendulkar was a “dream come true” and how it helped him become a mentally stronger cricketer.

“It [Meeting Tendulkar] was a dream come true moment for me. It was a generous gesture on his part to spare couple of hours for me from his busy schedule. It was a great experience,” said Hughes, who had then come to India in 2009, to play in the Champions League T20 (CLT20) for New South Wales.

“We didn’t talk anything on technical aspects. It was more of a general conversation and centered on the mental aspects of the game.

He is a legend and is there for 20 long years, so I asked him a few questions about his young days, his approach towards the game, his training methods. The meeting helped me a lot to become mentally strong. The interaction was two way, he also asked me few questions,” he said.

Both of them had met in a hotel and had lunch together.

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Tendulkar, on Wednesday had tweeted wishing Hughes, a speedy recovery.

Phil is fighting hard and we are with him in this fight. My prayers with him, his family and friends #prayforhughesy

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 26, 2014

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