"But isn’t it easy to forge these signatures?" - When 14-year-old Sachin Tendulkar's smart reply left Sunil Gavaskar in splits

Former Indian cricketer and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar knew Sachin Tendulkar from his early cricketing days. Gavaskar was convinced that Tendulkar would go on to become a great batter himself and one of the best in the world.

Gavaskar stopped playing cricket professionally after the 1987 World Cup, and had given his light leg guards to a young Tendulkar as the latter preferred to use the lightweight guards too. A few days later, Sachin Tendulkar visited Sunil Gavaskar's house to thank him for the leg guards; he also gave the legend a 'Thank You' card.

When Gavaskar told Tendulkar to sign the card, the latter obliged. However, it was difficult for Gavaskar to understand the signature and he advised Tendulkar to change it as he might have to give a lot of autographs in the future.

However, Tendulkar's smart response at that point made Gavaskar laugh. In the book 'Sachin@50', here's what Sunil Gavaskar had to say while recalling that conversation:

"He gave me a thank you card with his name written in block letters. I asked him to sign the card, and he scribbled a completely unreadable signature. I asked him if he had seen the signatures of Sir Don, Sir Garfield and even our own Vijay Merchant?

"I told him that even so many years after they retired, their signatures can be easily identified and that 50 years from now when fans look at autographs, they should be able to say, ‘Ah, that’s Sachin Tendulkar’s autograph.’ He nodded, and his next question floored me. He said, ‘Yes, but isn’t it easy to forge these signatures?’ I couldn’t help laughing, for a 14-year-old kid was conscious that his signature could be forged in the future."

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Sunil Gavaskar on the first time he saw Sachin Tendulkar bat

Sunil Gavaskar had heard a lot about Sachin Tendulkar and his performances at school-level, but it was only after the 1987 World Cup that he saw the youngster bat in the nets. The shots that Tendulkar played made Gavaskar feel that the young man was going to achieve big things in the future.

"A few days later (after 1987 World Cup), I went to the Wankhede Stadium to see him bat in the nets for the Mumbai Ranji Trophy probables," Gavaskar wrote in his book. "I watched from the dressing room since I didn’t want him to feel conscious about being watched. I saw a batter with so much time to play the quicker bowlers that he could hit them on whichever side he wanted. I remember coming home and telling my wife I had seen a special talent that day."

Sachin Tendulkar did go on to break multiple records, proving Gavaskar right about the talent and potential he saw in the youngster.