Sachin Tendulkar turns 45: His first-ever interview was published in MiD-DAY

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar. Pic/ mid-day archives

Sachin Tendulkar turns a year older, 45 to be precise, today. Since his Test debut in 1989, Sachin Tendulkar has become a legendary name in the world of cricket. Sachin has numerous feats, records and achievements to his name, be it at domestic level or international. But before all the shine and glitter, Sachin was merely a thirsty player who wanted to prove himself and more.

While Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his 45th birthday with a flurry of media interviews, we look back at a time which was very, very different. Here's a look at Sachin Tendulkar being interviewed by the veteran Tom Alter in 1989.

Tendulkar's memory did not betray him when it came to recalling the time when he was a probable for the 1988-89 tour of the West Indies. He had shown his spark on the Ranji Trophy scene and there were pundits who felt he had an outside chance in India chief selector Raj Singh Dungarpur's scheme of things.

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"Rajbhai told me, 'you won't be going to the West Indies. We feel it's too early. There will be the Irani Trophy. Enjoy your cricket, do your best and good things will happen. It's important that you appear for your SSC examinations.' That was very good advice," he said.

It was during this period that MiD DAY produced a video of Tendulkar being interviewed by actor and sports buff Tom Alter at the P J Hindu Gymkhana in Mumbai.

Three years earlier, MiD DAY was the first newspaper to interview Tendulkar -- conducted at an Irani restaurant near Shivaji Park by sports journalist Sunil Warrier. Tendulkar was just 13 (see right).

Back to Alter. When the actor asked Tendulkar whether he was tired of people asking him questions and journalists asking him for interviews, Tendulkar said, "This is just the start." Some visionary! When it came to the West Indies tour, he was asked whether he felt it was the right time to go and young Tendulkar's confidence disallowed him from saying no to the interviewer. Not only that, he also said he won't have any trouble facing West Indian quicks like Malcolm Marshall and Curtly Ambrose.

Alter asked him whether he had a problem with Kapil Dev's outswing and inswing when the great bowled to him in the nets. "No, I didn't have a problem," he said.

A scanned copy of Tendulkar's first ever interview which was published in MiD DAY in 1986