Sachin Tendulkar, the former Indian captain, open up about his retirement secrets what made him retire from his profession and international cricket. He says that he got the idea of retiring for the first time in October 2013, when Champions League Twenty20 was under way, just a month before he retired officially.
On a professional networking site 'LinkedIn' and 'Influencer', the cricket star shared his experience on Thursday, March 2 in a write-up titled 'My Second Innings'.
He jotted, "It was October 2013 during one of the Champions League games in Delhi. My mornings would start with a gym workout, a routine I had been following for 24 years. But that morning in October, something had changed."
"I realized that I had to force myself to wake up and go about my day. I knew that the gym training was a critical part of my cricket - something that had been my life for 24 years. Yet, there was reluctance. Why? Were these signs... signs that I should stop? Signs that the game that has been so dear to me, would no longer be a part of my daily routine?" Rajya Sabha MP wrote.
"Sunil Gavaskar, one of my heroes and a former cricketer, once said that he made up his mind to quit the game when he found himself checking the clock, to see how much time there was left for the lunch and tea intervals. Suddenly I knew exactly what he meant. My mind and my body were telling me the same thing. Maybe, it's time to hang up my boots."
The ultimate words by legendary cricketer were, "The energizing chant of 'Sachin, Sachin' that the crowds cheered each time I walked onto the field, was an indescribable feeling and rush. This probably won't be heard anymore. Was I ready for that? These thoughts and a discussion with my family and closest friends helped make up my mind. My innings was indeed coming to an end."
Taking a trip down the memory lane, he quoted, "The years flashed before my eyes. The victories, the losses, the celebrations, the challenges and the silences... the journey. India's win at the World Cup in 2011 was a dream come true as was the team's generous gesture of dedicating the cup to me. But, that chapter of my life was ending. What now, I wondered."
And he still remembers the words of Billy Jean King. He once said, "You will know for sure when to go, it will come from inside you, don't let the world decide when you have to retire."
There were two innings for Sachin Tendulkar. First was about 'Chasing Dreams' and second was about 'Satisfaction'.
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