Sachin Tendulkar recalled an emotional memory after his final match as an international cricketer in 2013 when he had to return a gift given to him by one of the modern-day greats, Virat Kohli. The gift was a sacred thread that Kohli had received from his late father, Prem Kohli.

Sachin Tendulkar, the most successful batter at the international level with 100 hundreds across formats, shared a heartwarming memory with Graham Bensinger on the latter’s YouTube channel. After his last international match, Tendulkar received a special gift from Virat Kohli. It was a sacred thread Kohli’s late father Prem Kohli gave him.

While describing the whole story to Bensinger, Tendulkar said, “I was sitting in one corner alone with a towel on my head and wiping tears and I was really emotional. And at that time, Virat had come to me and he gave me the sacred thread that his father had given him…”

However, Tendulkar decided to return the gift after some time and explained the reason. 

“And I kept that for a while and then returned that to him again. I said, ‘This is priceless and this has to stay with you and no one else. This is your property. And you should have it till your last breath.’ And I gave it back to him. So that was an emotional moment, something which will always be there in my memory, forever,” Tendulkar stated.

Kohli, too, revealed the reason behind his choice of gift to Tendulkar. 

“We usually wear threads around our wrists. In India, a lot of people do. So my father gave one to me, which he used to have. So I used to keep that with me in my bag. And then I thought this is the most valuable thing I have. So, my father gave this to me and I couldn’t give you anything more valuable and I just want you know how much you have inspired me and what you mean to all of us and this is my little gift to you,” Kohli stated.

Tendulkar’s last international match was a Test against West Indies in 2013 at his home ground Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.