Sachin Tendulkar’s unmatched batting legacy is well known, but his incredible memory is another trait that sets him apart. The cricketing icon can recall every innings he’s ever played—right from the score, the opponent, to the exact mode of dismissal. During a recent event, Tendulkar stunned his former India teammate, Pravin Amre, by narrating a touching story from the late 1980s, one that Amre himself had long forgotten.

As a teenager training under the legendary coach Ramakant Achrekar, Tendulkar was once asked to observe Amre’s batting. At the time, Amre had just returned from representing India’s U-19 team in Australia and was already an inspiration for the young cricketers at Shardashram Vidyamandir. What caught Tendulkar’s eye, however, wasn’t just Amre’s skill—it was a stylish pair of cricket shoes sitting in his kit bag.

Seeing the young prodigy’s fascination, Amre decided to motivate him. “Score a hundred and they’re yours,” Amre told him. Tendulkar took up the challenge with determination and went on to score that century. But despite his success, the shy teenager didn’t dare remind his senior about the promise.

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Sachin Tendulkar recalled, “After I scored the hundred, I didn’t have the courage to ask him for the shoes. But Pravin himself came up to me and gave them. That was the first good-quality pair of cricket shoes I ever owned, and I’ll never forget that gesture.”

Pravin Amre, deeply moved when Tendulkar retold the story decades later, said he was overwhelmed that the batting legend remembered such a small act of kindness. “This incident happened around 1987 or 1988. I had completely forgotten about it! Those were imported spike shoes—not available in India back then. I’m proud that I gave them to the right person, who went on to become one of the greatest cricketers ever,” Amre said.

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This heartwarming anecdote perfectly captures the humility and gratitude that define Tendulkar’s greatness—proof that even amid global fame, he never forgot the small gestures that shaped his early journey.