Sachin Tendulkar in action for India Masters during the International Masters League 2025. (Credit: International Masters League)
Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was reminded of his early days when he visited Motibaug Cricket Ground in Vadodara (earlier Baroda) as a 14-year-old with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team after visiting the same place 37 years later.
Playing for the Indian Masters in the ongoing International Masters League (IML) T20, 2025, Tendulkar and the whole team were practising ahead of their clash against Australia Masters on Wednesday.
In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, Tendulkar shared his childhood memory of Vadodara and his experience of playing at that venue.
“The ground you can see behind me, I came here as a 14-year-old with the Mumbai Ranji team. I was part of the 14-member squad. This is Motibaug (Cricket) Ground and here (pointing towards his left) was our dressing room. All those memories have suddenly picked up. I still remember that they had put up tents and everything and a massive crowd came to see the match, but I am here for a different reason,” said the Indian maestro in the video.
Sachin made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bombay (now Mumbai) at the age of 15 years and 232 days against Gujarat on December 11, 1988. Playing in his home ground at the Wankhede Stadium, Tendulkar scored an unbeaten century, making himself the youngest Indian to score a hundred on First-Class debut.
The inaugural season of IML is being played in three cities. The tournament started at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai before the caravan moved to Vadodara, where all the matches will be held at the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) Stadium (also known as Kotambi Stadium). The last seven games, including three knockout matches, will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur.
The India Masters sit at the top of the points table, having won all three matches against Sri Lanka, England and South Africa Masters.
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Tendulkar has scored 50 in three innings, with 34 being his highest individual score against England.
