Exclusive: When Sachin played for Pakistan

This was a surprising information and I though probably my friends also would be interested to read this!!!

Article by Hemant Kenkre in Rediff.com

My own personal favourite is the story of when a Pakistan XI led by the awe-inspiring Imran Khan took on the Cricket Club of India Golden Jubilee XI at the historic Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, sometime in 1987-'88. The Pakistan team was playing this festival match as part of the CCI Golden Jubilee celebrations, and the CCI team had stalwarts like Roger Binny, Mohammad Azharuddin among others in its ranks.

Having been a member of the CCI cricket team, I was one of the 'volunteers' looking after the Indian dressing room, and was warned by the Pakistan manager that they would require a couple of fielders in case any of their stars decided that the hotel was a better place to be instead of the field. Sure enough, after the guests had finished their batting and Chandrakant Pandit was smashing the ball around, Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir decided to hop back to their hotel and the Pakistan manager looked toward us for much needed resources to patrol the Brabourne outfield.

CCI, that year, had in their ranks a few promising youngsters as 'playing members', a fabulous tradition that has given a platform for young cricketers to display their talents in Mumbai's senior tournaments. Kushroo Vasania, a former India Under-19 captain, was among those who had been drafted into the CCI as was a young man with curly mop of hair and prodigious talent, who answered to the name of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar!

Sachin had become a 'playing member' that year, and had played in Mumbai's senior league for the first time. The CCI's then president Madhav Apte (a former India player) had changed the rules to allow the 'minor' to step into the 'above-18 allowed' CCI cricket dressing room. Both were told to be available if required

Kushroo was an obvious choice, having been one of the good fielders in the Mumbai cricket circuit. While Shishir Hattangadi (former Mumbai captain) and I were looking for 'fielder No. 2', we heard the (now famous) soft voice ask: 'Me Zaaoo Ka?' (Can I go?). Even before we said 'yes' the curly-topped kid was on the ground, rubbing shoulders with Wasim Akram, Imran, Rameez Raja, Mudassar Nazar!

India's pride and joy, Sachin Tendulkar, had in fact stepped on to the international arena for the first time as a reserve fielder for a Pakistan XI!

Postscript: Marcus Couto, a cricket enthusiast, umpire, statistician and friend of Sachin's remembers the conversation they had when he and Sachin headed home after that game. "We were travelling in a second class compartment of Mumbai's Western Railway, and Sachin was upset that the captain had posted him too deep at long on. He tried to go for a catch, but the ball was too far away from him," says Marcus. "I think that was the last time Sachin traveled in a Mumbai suburban train," he adds.