‘That’s my promise’: How Sachin Tendulkar honoured his commitment to Gursharan Singh

Some promises are meant to be kept. And in his long and illustrious cricketing career, his commitment, humility and class set Sachin Tendulkar apart.

Back in 1989, when Tendulkar was playing an Irani Cup fixture for Rest of India against Delhi, he was still a young cricketer waiting in the wings. Gursharan Singh, the vice-captain of the team, had a fractured finger in the first innings, but with the Rest of India nine wickets down in its second innings and Tendulkar batting on 85, the late Raj Singh Dungarpur asked Gursharan to walk out to bat ‘with one hand’.

Gursharan listened to Dungarpur and held fort at the other end, as Tendulkar went on to score a century, paving the way for him to break into the Indian team. Despite all his illustrious achievements, Tendulkar has not forgotten Gursharan’s contribution.

“That was my trial match for the Indian team. Gursharan wasn’t supposed to bat, but he listened to Raj Singh and came out to bat and eventually helped me get my 100. And I got selected to play for India after that. Later, Gursharan also became a part of the Indian cricket team. I thanked him profusely there, because it was a big thing for him to come out with his broken hand. His intent, his attitude mattered the most to me. That touched my heart,” Tendulkar reminisced during an Ageas Federal Life Insurance event on Tuesday.

“In those days, there were benefit matches for retired cricketers. So I told him in New Zealand, ‘Gushi, someday or the other, you will retire. You can’t play for a lifetime. But the day you retire and you get a benefit match, I promise I will come and play.’ And I’m glad that I was able to play his match…”

And, years later, Tendulkar, indeed, kept his promise.

Gursharan called up Tendulkar in 2005, saying that he would be playing a benefit match next year, and inquired whether the latter could come and play in that game.

“I told him, ‘Gushi, I had promised you in New Zealand (in 1990) that I will play in your benefit match, and 15 years later, now that you have decided to host the benefit match, I will definitely come and play. That’s my promise,” the former India captain said with a smile, adding: “These memories still stay with me. And today, I can proudly say, whatever I promised, I fulfilled…”

Published on Dec 09, 2025