"Paaji aaj jita ke aayeenge"- Suresh Raina on his promise to Sachin Tendulkar during the 2011 ODI World Cup 

Former Indian batter Suresh Raina shared a motivational and memorable conversation with Sachin Tendulkar in the dressing room during the team's tense quarter-final contest against Australia in Ahmedabad during the 2011 ODI World Cup.

Chasing 261 for victory in the high-octane encounter to claim a place in the semi-finals, Team India were off to a rapid start courtesy of Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.

Tendulkar looked in ominous touch and led the run chase attempt, but his contribution was cut short after he was caught down leg side in the 19th over itself. The onus was left on the lower middle order to see out the chase as the Aussies kept chipping in with wickets.

Revealing that the legendary cricketer told him to seize the moment and win the match for the country, Suresh Raina wrote in 'Sachin @ 50', a book dedicated to the Master Blaster on his 50th birthday:

"In the quarter-final against Australia, I was sitting next to Paaji in the dressing room when he said, ‘Look at this as an opportunity. A World Cup quarter-final with 78 runs left, and you have a chance to win it for the country. It is your day; go win it for India."

He continued:

"With Dhoni out and 75 runs still to get, I could not have asked for a better opportunity to make a mark. All I told him was, ‘Paaji aaj jita ke aayeenge. [Will win it for India tonight, elder brother]"

Raina struck a crucial partnership with Yuvraj Singh for the sixth wicket and ended up unbeaten on 34 off 28 deliveries. India were one step closer to their second ODI World Cup title after wrapping up the chase in the 48th over.

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"Paaji was a foodie, and with him around, we learnt a lot about Japanese food" - Suresh Raina on Sachin Tendulkar

Suresh Raina got out on a duck on his ODI debut in 2004 and was keen to make amends when he got his maiden opportunity in Tests. The left-handed batter became one of the rare Indian players to score a century on his Test debut.

Recalling how Sachin Tendulkar took him out for Japanese food after his feat, Raina wrote:

"I fondly remember Sachin Paaji taking me out to dinner when I got my first Test century in Colombo. He had scored a double hundred in the same game and had taken me out to my first Japanese meal."

He continued:

"It was an experience. Paaji was a foodie, and with him around, we learnt a lot about Japanese food."

Tendulkar will turn 50 years old on April 24, 2023, and apart from serving his country on the cricketing field for over half a decade, he has also impacted the lives of countless people through his exploits on and off the field.