It’s been a decade since India’s debacle at the 2007 World Cup. After losing to Bangladesh in its opening game, India went on to beat Bermuda and then lost the next match to Sri Lanka, resulting in exit the Men in Blue from the tournament. While it was a disappointment to both players and fans, the exit took a toll on former India cricketer who contemplated retirement after the match.
Speaking to Mid Day, Tendulkar said that a call from Sir Vivian Richards changed that. “He spoke to me for around 45 minutes — about the ups and downs in cricket. He stressed that I have plenty of cricket left in me and said, 'You are not going to retire now.' He had heard from a friend of ours that I was really depressed to a point that I was literally thinking of retiring. He told me that it's only a matter of time that I get back so don't take any decision now.
Tendulkar added that the call made a huge difference, as Sir Vivian Richards was his batting hero. “His call to me was made at the right time and I got convinced. I then said to myself, 'Okay, I'm going to abandon these thoughts and start practising again as soon as I return to Mumbai. My brother Ajit spoke to me about the 2011 World Cup, telling me that this trophy can be in my hands. That was the motivating factor and I started chasing my World Cup dream,” he added.
Recalling the early exit, Tendulkar said it was one of his worst days. “The first blow was the loss to Bangladesh and then we lost to Sri Lanka. I never thought we would lose to Bangladesh. We were not over-confident, but you do feel confident about India beating Bangladesh. It was one of those uncertainties of the game,” he said, adding that he spent two days in his room after the exit. “I was in no mood to do anything. It was such a massive disappointment that I didn't feel like doing anything in those two days. It was tough to get that out of your mind and move on to the next tournament,” he said.
Blaming former Indian coach Greg Chappell for creating imbalance in the team, Tendulkar said that the decisions made by Chappell was not in the right direction for the team.
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