'I said, hope you are okay' - Sachin Tendulkar recalls his last message to late spin legend Shane Warne

Veteran batter Sachin Tendulkar has paid his tribute to the late Australian legend Shane Warne, who died due to a heart attack at the age of 52 earlier this month. To note, both Tendulkar and Warne had been involved in several great battles on the cricketing pitch and shared a good friendship and respect for each other off the field.

The 48-year-old remembered that he had last met Warne in London after the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Talking about Warne’s illustrious career, the 52-year-old had played a total of 145 Test matches in which he scalped 708 wickets and still holds the record of being the second-highest wicket-taker in the world (Tests).

There was not a dull moment when Warne was around: Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar, in a conversation with another cricketing legend Brian Lara, remembered the late leg-spinner.

“After the last IPL, I went to England to spend some time in London where we got in touch with each other and also planned a round of Golf. It was fun. When Shane was around, there was not a dull moment. He was full of entertainment and jokes and those mini battles that we had, I realise it was not just the spin but also the swing that came naturally to him. He was a good golfer. I hate saying he was because we have to accept what has happened. For us, he will continue to live in our hearts,” said Tendulkar in a video posted on his YouTube channel.

“I enjoyed physically meeting him in London but even post that, I remember my last message to him was when he met with a bike accident. I said hope you are okay, everything is fine? He said no I just took my bike out for a spin and it skidded and I am injured but I should be fine. So my response to that was – you could spin the ball the way you wanted to but taking out your bike for a spin isn’t a good idea, my friend. And he responded by saying he was on pain killers for 4-5 days and that he should be okay,” he added.