'I've to confess I was nervous' - Rohit Sharma recollects his first close meeting with Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar has inspired innumerable cricketers, including Team India skipper Rohit Sharma, to pursue a career in the game. In the recent turn of events, Rohit recalled his first close encounter with the legendary batter.

Rohit recollected the very first time he saw Tendulkar closely. He said that the Master Blaster paid a visit to the Cricket Club of India (CCI), where Rohit used to train, during Australia's 2004/05 tour of India. He added that Tendulkar spent some time watching him bat, which made him nervous. He went on to say that after that, they played together in the Ranji Trophy final in 2006, and he continued to learn by witnessing Tendulkar up close.

"Paaji (Tendulkar) had come to the CCI and was standing behind our nets and was watching me train. I have to confess I was nervous. It was natural I would be. You just wanted to impress him. To get recognition in his eyes was the ultimate yardstick. Thereafter we played the 2006 Ranji Trophy final together, which Mumbai won, and I kept learning from seeing Paaji up close," Rohit said in the book Sachin@50.

Tendulkar was reading the bowlers exceptionally well: Rohit

Rohit's first significant innings in the 50-over format for India was undoubtedly his 66 against Australia in the first final of the Commonwealth Bank Tri-series in 2007/08. Notably, India won the game as both Rohit and Tendulkar contributed 123 runs for the fourth wicket. The 35-year-old has opened up about the partnership and how Tendulkar assisted him in understanding the bowlers during the game. 

According to Rohit, India needed a partnership to stay in the game and Tendulkar was batting well. He went on to say that he felt it was necessary for him to stay and support Tendulkar. He then stated that Australia claimed that they would win the three-match final in two games, but India defeated them 2-0.

"We needed a partnership to win the contest, and Paaji (Tendulkar) was batting brilliantly. It was important I stayed with him and backed him up. Australia had claimed that they would close out the three-match final in just two games, and we needed to turn up at our best. We did and beat them 2–0," Rohit said added.

He went on to claim that Tendulkar was outstanding during the two finals, understanding the bowlers extremely well. He also mentioned that Master Blaster had come up to him and told him what to anticipate, which helped him a lot. He went on to say that Tendulkar's judgment helped him to make a crucial contribution to the team.

"The third final was not required, and Paaji was brilliant in the two finals. He was reading the bowlers exceptionally well and could understand what they were about to bowl to me. In fact, he would come up and tell me what to expect, and it was of great help. I could trust his judgment while batting, which helped me make an important contribution to the team," Rohit concluded.