Did Sachin Tendulkar Actually Play For Pakistan Before Debuting For India?

Sachin Tendulkar Played For Pakistan:  Cricket is no less than a religion in India, and so are its players. Sachin Tendulkar is one such cricketing legend who has not only etched his name in Indian cricket history but also in the hearts of millions of fans with his unbelievable gameplay. However, to your surprise, do you know that one of the greatest Indian cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar, ever played for Pakistan before officially debuting for India? The claim is both shocking and correct to some point.

In January 1987, an exhibition cricket match was organised at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. At that time, team Pakistan, led by players like Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir, was facing a Mumbai team. Reportedly, at that time, Sachin was 14-15 years old and was still a schoolboy, who was yet to become a world cricket prodigy. In the match, Sachin was invited to participate as a substitute fielder for Pakistan.

When a Pakistani player had left the field for a while, Sachin was requested to fill the gap. The little boy, with unparalleled zeal, rushed onto the field donning Pakistan's green cap. He stood in the field for a brief time. While he did not bat or bowl, the incident found its place in cricket folklore due to its irony; the man who turned out to be India's greatest batsman once fielded for the arch-rivals -Pakistan.

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Sachin himself has disclosed this anecdoteyears later in interviews and also in his published autobiography, 'Playing it My Way.’ He remembered with affection how excited he was just to be on the ground playing with international cricketers. He played his first official international match for India two years later, in 1989, against none other but Pakistan in Karachi, this time with pride, wearing the Indian jersey.