Sachin Tendulkar feels unfortunate to have not played against Viv Richards

Though he has played against some of the greats in the game, Sachin Tendulkar feels unfortunate to have not played against the master West Indian batsman Vivian Richards.

Speaking about how he was able to make the transition from being a ball boy in the 1987 World Cup to actually playing in the 1992 Cup, Sachin said: “I remember in 1987, I was a ball boy so it was a big transformation for me from being a ball boy to participating in the next World Cup. I still remember the group picture of teams in Sydney. It was followed by a dinner at the Darling Harbour. It was an unbelievable experience with all the top players from the world in the room.”

Tendulkar, who was a just a teenager at that time made a tremendous impact in the 1992 World Cup where he scored at an average of over 47, and was also the man of match in India’s victories over both Zimbabwe and Pakistan.

Calling it a “special” experience, Tendulkar said that he cherished the opportunity to play against the likes of Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Courtney Walsh, Richie Richarson, Ian Botham, Graham Gooch, Javed Miandad, Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshal and Desmond Haynes at the 1992 World Cup, reports the Times Of India.

However, it still hurts Tendulkar that he was not able to play against his childhood hero Vivian Richards.

“I was quite disappointed that Vivian Richards was not part of the West Indies squad. He was (and still is) my hero, so it was disappointing that I could not play against him,” he said.

Tendulkar also reminisced about all the people who were able to make a name for themselves in the 1992 World Cup such as Alan Donald, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Dipak Patel and Jonty Rhodes.