After the 2007 World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar considered retiring from the game once and for all. India did not perform up to expectations, losing against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Tendulkar did not have a good tournament either, scoring a total of 64 runs in three matches. He had almost decided that it would be the last time he picked up a bat for the nation. Thankfully a 45-minute call with his hero Viv Richards changed things.

Tendulkar said: “I felt that was it. At that stage, a lot of things happening around Indian cricket were not at all healthy. We needed some changes and I felt if those changes did not happen then I was going to quit cricket. I was almost 90 per cent sure of quitting cricket. But my brother told me in 2011 there is World Cup final in Mumbai, can you imagine holding that beautiful trophy in your hand?”

He mentioned Viv Richards’ crucial role in his decision: “After that, I went away to my farmhouse and that is when I got a call from Sir Viv, saying I know there is plenty of cricket left in you. We had a conversation for about 45 minutes and that was so heartwarming because when your batting hero calls you it means a lot. That was the moment things changed for me and from that moment onwards I also performed much much better.”

I think we Indian fans owe a lot of gratitude to the West Indian legend.