Sign of how great he would be was seen in 1989: Borde

Chandu Borde, a stalwart of Indian cricket, might not be aware of the number of records Sachin Tendulkar has to him name.

But as early as 1989, the former India skipper knew Tendulkar would own a lot of them by the time he was done with cricket.

Borde was the manager on Tendulkar's debut test tour to Pakistan and by the time the third Test was drawing to a close, Borde was convinced that the 16-year-old was a special talent.

"In marathi, we have a saying, 'Mulacha pai palnyat,' meaning we can know how a child will turn out from the way he is in the cradle," Borde said.

"When he continued batting after he was hit on the nose in the third Test and scored a brilliant half-century, that to me was the signal of the heights he would reach. At that age, to just wipe away blood and continue batting on a fiery green Sialkot wicket showed maturity and determination of an exceptional individual."

"That coupled with the immense talent is a rare combination."