Kohli, Tendulkar & A Sacred Thread: An Unheard Emotional Story Between Virat & Sachin

"Virat came to me at that time, and he gave me the sacred thread that his father had given him," Sachin said in an interview.

Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli during the master blaster's 200th match | Image: AFP

Sachin Tendulkar has opened up about a heartfelt, yet lesser-known story involving Virat Kohli that happened during Master blaster's last Test match in 2013.

Tendulkar in a podcast revealed how an emotional Virat Kohli gave his father's thread during the former's final Test. 

Indian cricket fans have been privileged to witness two of the modern greats of the game - Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli - at the zenith of batting for more than 33 years. (combined)

The unwarranted debate about who the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) is, keeps cropping up every now and then. Regardless of where one might stand on this question, no one can deny the fact that both were/are the best batsmen of their own eras. 

The love and respect shared by these two great batsmen is revealed in the story narrated by Tendulkar in a podcast on American journalist Graham Bensinger's Youtube channel.

It was in the November of 2013 when Tendulkar was playing his last Test match against West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

Remembering the incident, Tendulkar says, " I had just returned to the change room and I was in tears. By then, I knew that I am going to retire but when that ball was bowled, I said to myself, 'Ok, that's it. Never ever in your life you will walk out on the field as an international player for India'."

Continuing the story further, Tendulkar says, "So I was sitting in one corner alone with a towel on my head and wiping tears. I was really emotional and couldn't control my tears.

"Virat came to me at that time, and he gave me the sacred thread that his father had given him," he said.

Sachin further says that he returned the thread to Virat.

"I kept that for a while and returned it to him… told him it is priceless. This has to stay with you. This is yours and no one else's. You should have it till your last breath. And I gave it back to him. So that was an emotional moment… something that will always be with me in my memory forever."