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Rediff.com  » Cricket » I did not want to break down in front of Yuvi: Tendulkar
This article was first published 11 years ago

I did not want to break down in front of Yuvi: Tendulkar

Last updated on: March 20, 2013 19:07 IST


Sachin Tendulkar says he was scared of breaking down in front of Yuvraj Singh when he met the left-handed batsman in London after his treatment in the United States for a rare germ cell cancer. 

"When I went to meet him in London, I was telling my wife (Anjali) that I don't want to break down when I see him. I met him and gave him a tight hug. We enjoyed a meal and from the way he (Yuvraj) ate, I was convinced that he is back on track," Tendulkar told a select gathering during the release of Yuvraj's book The Test of My Life.

It was a poignant evening on Tuesday with the likes of Tendulkar, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and latest batting star Virat Kohli recollecting stories and their emotional experiences during Yuvraj's fight with cancer. 

"When I saw my wife discussing medical terms with Yuvraj, I realised what he has been going through. He is like my younger brother and I would ask God why it (the illness) had to happen to Yuvraj," Tendulkar said in an emotional tone.

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'I was looking at him in awe at the dressing room'


Yuvraj, in his typical funny manner, recollected how he met Tendulkar the first time. 

"My first conversation was when I was looking at him in awe at the dressing room when suddenly he said 'please pass on the biscuits'," Yuvraj said. 

To this Tendulkar said, "I have not got those biscuits till now."

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'Dhoni does not talk too much while batting'


On a serious note, Dhoni said he knew about Yuvraj's situation even before he told him about it. 

"When his test reports came, someone told me he has cancer. I just said 'are you sure'. The person repeated that Yuvraj has cancer. I was shocked," said Dhoni. 

Recalling India's World Cup triumph in 2011, Yuvraj said, "Dhoni does not talk too much while batting. But when he got out against Australia in the quarter-finals, while going back he said shaabash Yuvi jitake aana."

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'First I used to refer to him as 'aap''


On a lighter vein, Dhoni remembered how Yuvraj greeted him in the Indian team back in 2004-05. 

"Are bhai kya chal raha hain, phir chhake maarnese kuchch nahi hota, match jitaanese jyada appreciation milta hain [Friend, what's happening? Nothing happens by hitting another six; winning the match is waht earns more appreciation]," he said.

"First I used to refer to him as aap and from then it came down to tum and now it is tu," Dhoni said. 

Young Kohli remembered how during the World Cup he went to Yuvraj's room and found out he was coughing a lot with medicines lying beside the side table.

"I asked him, 'paaji why are you coughing so much?' And he replied it was because he has cancer," Kohli said. 

"I thought it's his habit of fooling around with people. I told him not to joke and I left the room," he added. 

When the anchor asked how Kohli got the nickname chickoo, Yuvraj said, "When he came to the team I thought he resembled a baby bulldog with lovely cheeks. But now he has surpassed me in all departments, including being the most eligible bachelor."

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'I'd always ask Yuvi about the girl he's going to date'


Harbhajan Singh, who was also present, said, "During Yuvi's illness, I never spoke on that subject and I would always asked about the girl he is going to date when he is back after treatment and the girl he would introduce to me." 

On a lighter vein, Yuvraj said that he was surprised when he got an SMS from Dhoni while he was in the United States. 

"I replied in the SMS 'is it real Dhoni' because it is so hard to get through to him."

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