Sachin Tendulkar needs no introduction. The greatest player ever to play the game of cricket, he took the game to a different level altogether. India was blessed to have the God of cricket by their side, and he did the job of scaling Indian cricket to newer heights. Which is why for Indians he is not just a cricket player, he is an irreplaceable emotion. Indians turned their lives off and televisions on when Sachin used to bat. The gem of India gave many moments of joy to billion people. Which is why, he is worshipped by every Indian who follows cricket. But not many know, that "Bharatratna" Sachin Tendulkar played for Pakistan before making his debut for India.

When one speaks about first occasion when Sachin took the field against international side, everyone remembers of 1989 when a 16 year old Sachin took his guard in Karachi. Nostalgia hits hard when one remembers him playing against the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir and Imran Khan on a green top wicket in Karachi. One very fondly remembers the sight of a 16 year old Sachin being hit on the nose by a Waqar bouncer, and then hitting a wonderful half century with a bleeding nose. But to the sheer surprise of many, it was not the first time when the living legend stepped on the field playing for an international side. It happened some days back when he took the field to play for Pakistan, against India.

The occasion was 2 and a half year prior to Sachin's debut, when on 20th January 1987, India and Pakistan were playing a friendly match. It was the 50th year of Cricket Club of India and the match was organised to celebrate the occasion at Brabourne stadium in Mumbai. And since it was only a friendly match, few of the Pakistan players including Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir chose to go back to their hotel rooms post lunch. Pakistan was falling short of players in the post lunch session, due to which Pakistan skipper had to manage players from somewhere. Therefore Imran Khan requested the CCI captain to ask local players and ball boys to field for Pakistan.

And there was a 13 year old Sachin standing next to the boundary as a ball boy. When the CCI captain was having a word regarding the same with local coach, Sachin was standing near to him and he heard the entire conversation. And he immediately asked the CCI captain in his local language saying "Me Jau Ka?", stating "should I go?" And the CCI captain gave a nod, and Sachin and his senior Khushru Vasania were sent to field for Pakistan. Who knew back then that the 13 year old taking the field would later go on to rule the world and be the greatest player ever to have played the game. It was also a rare occasion when a future "Bharatratna" took the field against India, while playing for arch rivals Pakistan.

A delighted Sachin was extremely happy to get a chance to play alongside the players he had watched on television. Even being so young in age, his passion was highly commendable. Him and Vasania fielded for the Pakistan side for 25 overs and Sachin was eager to take catches and contribute to the team in the field. He was disappointed when he was asked to field on the boundary line, as he wanted to contribute more by fielding inside the 30 yard circle. Where he stood, the ball either landed into the stands or far away from him, making him difficult to reach. In one instance, Sachin tried hard to catch a ball hit by Kapil Dev but it turned out to be unsuccessful as ball landed little away from him inspite of him running fast. After his stint as a Pakistan fielder got over, he was disappointed for not being able to contribute with his fielding, but was happy to feature in the match alongside international stars.

It is one of the most unique yet unknown instances of Sachin's life, which not many know about even till this day. That day he played against India for Pakistan, but 2 and a half years later, on 14 November 1989, he made his debut for India against Pakistan. And then onwards, he never looked back. For the next 24 years, he carried the burden of Indian team and a billion expectations with pride and he never let them down. He gave unforgettable moments for every Indian, and if Indians have smiled in those 24 years, a massive share of credit goes to him for that. He left a legacy which is impossible to match. On his 51st birthday, we thank him for all what he did for this beautiful game.

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