By CricketCountry Staff
Sachin Tendulkar, whom Time’s magazine hailed as the world’s greatest athlete, revealed that he did not have a sticker on his bat during the 1996 World Cup in order to avoid any distraction.
Published: May 11, 2012, 08:08 PM (IST)
Edited: May 11, 2012, 08:08 PM (IST)
Tendulkar went on to become the highest run scorer in the 1996 World Cup © AFP
By CricketCountry Staff
Mumbai: May 11, 2012
Sachin Tendulkar, whom Time’s magazine hailed as the world’s greatest athlete, revealed that he did not have a sticker on his bat during the 1996 World Cup in order to avoid any distraction.
“At no stage did I feel I would have to make compromises to earn an extra buck. I’ll give you an example. There was a company which wanted to sign a contract with me during 1996 World Cup, to put their logo on my bat. But I had already played the first two matches without a sticker on the bat: I was used to the way it looked, and didn’t want to change that in the middle of the tournament; didn’t want the distraction. So I said, ‘Offer me whatever, I’m not signing this contract,” Tendulkar was quoted saying to the Time magazine.
Ajit Wadekar was mighty impressed by Tendulkar’s commitment to the game at that point.
“I had this sticker-less bat which I used for fielding and catching practice. Sachin somehow liked the feel of it. Of course, it was slightly lighter than the bats he normally uses. He asked me if he could have it and I had no problems in giving it to him,” Wadekar was quoted as saying in MiD-DAY.
“The fact that he did not sign the deal because it would distract him shows again the kind of commitment he has.”
Tendulkar went on to become the highest run scorer in the 1996 World Cup. He scored 523 runs at an average of 87.16.
