Sachin Tendulkar surprised his fans when he stopped by to play some street cricket.
In the suburbs of Mumbai, the city that never sleeps, one often comes across gully cricket being played in the narrow spaces between neighbouring buildings. But when the Mumbaikers spotted the God of Cricket batting near an underconstruction Metro site in Bandra, they couldn't believe their eyes and rushed to click selfies with the legend.
A viral video from a few nights ago that recently surfaced shows Sachin Tendulkar getting out of his car and shaking hands with a bunch of boys in Bermuda shorts who were playing street cricket. Soon he grabs his weapon from the batsman and plays some deliveries. The road barrier becomes the stumps as the curly-haired genius plays the ball. He looks delighted while chatting with the boys who invite him to the nearby hotel where they work.
The video, tweeted by former cricketer Vinod Kambli, is cut when a car passes by the squad and on catching a glimpse of Mr Tendulkar, a girl yells out his name in excitement. Soon others join the chorus for the former skipper's autograph and selfies with him.
In India, where cricket is a religion, and where almost everybody has tried their hand at the game, we don't need pitches or stadiums. We are happy to play on streets, parks, car parks and beaches. And we love the spontaneity of the gully variant. Mr Tendulkar, Mumbai's gift to the world of cricket, too, began his training in the streets, with a tennis ball.
The sports star, who retired from international cricket in 2013, is now associated with IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.