When Sachin Tendulkar Redesigned His Elbow Guard Based On A Waiter’s Advice – News18

Last Updated:December 19, 2024, 15:45 IST

The waiter came to serve a beverage to Sachin Tendulkar but asked if he would like to discuss something about cricket.

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar once revealed how a waiter convinced him to redesign his elbow guard. The incident happened in 2001 when Tendulkar and the other members of the Indian team were at the Taj Coromandel Hotel in Chennai. He ordered a coffee in his room. The waiter who came to serve the beverage asked Tendulkar if he would like to discuss something about cricket. Considering his love and passion for the game, it would be difficult for Tendulkar to turn down such a request. “Yes, please go ahead,” the Master Blaster said. That’s when the person spoke about the differences he had observed in Tendulkar’s batting when he wore an elbow guard.

“Whenever I have seen you wear an arm guard, your bat swing changes. I’m your huge fan. I have seen your batting, rewound it five or seven times and watched every ball multiple times. And that’s why, I thought whenever you wore an elbow guard, your bat swing changed a bit,” the waiter said to Tendulkar, who revealed the conversation at the launch of the sports equipment range Sachin by Spartan in 2017, as per Times Now.

Tendulkar was undoubtedly shocked by his analysis and admitted, “Yes, you are the only person in the world who has figured out that. I knew I was feeling uncomfortable but I never thought of doing it myself. A few years later, I got hit a couple of times on my elbow guard. Then I realised that the padding on my elbow guard was inadequate,” he shared during the interview.

Tendulkar instantly decided to redesign his elbow guard with proper padding. “I needed to re-open it and work on it, get the fibre and cushion on either side to absorb the impact.,” he recalled.

A clip of the interview was initially dropped by Tendulkar on X in 2019. One of his fan pages recently reshared the interview on Insta gram with the caption, “When Sachin Tendulkar redesigned his elbow guard over a waiter’s suggestion.”

Tendulkar remained a vital cog in the Indian batting unit for more than two decades. Apart from breaking multiple records, he helped the country secure many historic wins. Tendulkar was part of the MS Dhoni-led side that lifted the 2011 ODI World Cup by defeating Sri Lanka in Mumbai.