Playing under former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad has been touted as some of the 'better years' for India's master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, he revealed during the launch of Gaekwad's biography 'Guts Amidst Bloodbath' on Friday.
Sachin said that Gaekwad was one person who could always be trusted when the former cricketer was the Team India coach for about two years — from 1997 to 1999. It was during his tenure that Tendulkar played some of his best innings, including two ODI centuries against Australia in Sharjah, which is now known as the 'Desert Storm'.
"I was really fortunate to spend time with him (Gaekwad) when he was our coach. Possibly, I had better cricketing years of my life when he was our coach. We would have discussions on my batting and the approach I should have."
"Everyone has ups and downs in his career, but he was always there. Someone who was honest, very transparent and someone who one could trust. Whatever one could discuss (with him) stays confidential. That's an important quality for a coach. We really got to know each other really well,” Tendulkar said at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
Joining in the accolades was former India pace bowler Zaheer Khan, who credited Gaekwad with resolving the issues of him running onto the crease.
"He was the coach when I had the first issue of running onto the crease. I was not able to control getting off the pitch in the follow-through and Aunshu bhai smartly handled it. In the nets in Chennai, we had a couple of selection games. If that issue (had) persisted, I wouldn't have been picked. He would come for practice sessions and subtly kept reminding me in Marathi about staying off the pitch, otherwise, I would not be selected," said Zaheer.
"I am amazed at how he found a way of communicating it to me without letting anyone else know and without putting me under pressure. That was something that stayed with me. He was my first coach with the Indian team in Kenya when I made my debut," he recalled.
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