Sachin Tendulkar's retirement in 2013 was an emotional moment for cricket fans around the world. The batting great was not just an idol to millions of fans across the globe but also to some of the youngsters in Indian dressing room. One among them was Virat Kohli, who was still in the starting phase of his international career. Tendulkar recently recalled a heart-touching moment from his retirement when he had returned a gift given to him by Kohli. The gift was a sacred thread that Kohli had received from his late father.
"So I was sitting in one corner alone, with towel on my head. (I was) wiping tears and I was really emotional. At that time, Virat had come to me and Virat gave me the sacred thread that his father had given him," Tendulkar told American journalist Graham Bensinger on the latter's You Tube channel.
Kohli explained the reason behind gifting the special thread to Tendulkar .
"We usually wear threads around our wrists. In India, a lot of people do. So my father gave one to me, which he used to have. So I used to keep that with me in my bag. And then I thought this is the most valuable thing I have. So, my father gave this to me and I couldn't give you anything more valuable and I just want you know how much you have inspired me and what you mean to all of us and this is my little gift to you," Kohli said.
Tendulkar said that he felt he had to return the gift to Kohli.
"Kept that for a while and then returned that to him again. I said this is priceless and this has to stay with you and no one else. This is your property and you should have it till your last breath and I gave it back to him. So it was an emotional moment, something that will always be there in my memory."
