Despite his calm demeanour on the field, the Master Blaster is infamous for his pranks

Dubbed the “God of Cricket”, Sachin Tendulkar's achievements are known to cricket fans across the globe, so it is futile to draft another article about him and cricket. After all, there’s no match or innings of the legendary Indian batter that cannot be found on the web. However, given that Tendulkar has always been a calm soul on and off the field, the common masses know very little about his traits, personality, and so on. In short, only those who are close to him truly know him.

Many may not even be aware that Tendulkar is one of the biggest pranksters in the Indian cricket ecosystem. Therefore, on his 53rd birthday, here’s a compiled list of pranks pulled on people around him over the years.

Passes Raina as his son

(Credit- CricTracker)

At the beginning of his career, Suresh Raina, along with Sachin Tendulkar and the entire team, was flying for a Test game. On the flight, an air hostess mistook Suresh Raina for Arjun Tendulkar, and instead of clarifying the mistake, Tendulkar played along. This little prank with the hostess led to Raina getting upgraded to business class.

Flood Dada’s room

India’s former skipper Sourav Ganguly was known for his aggressive nature and strict discipline, and therefore, not many had the guts to pull a prank on him. However, given that Tendulkar was very close to Ganguly, the Master Blaster once flooded his room.

(Credit- News18)

“I remember Sourav was sleeping during the afternoon. Jatin Paranjpe, Kedar Godbole, and I filled his room with water. He woke up and was naturally clueless about what was happening; his suitcases were floating. Finally, he realised it was me, Jatin and Kedar who had done it,” Tendulkar had revealed in an interview with the PTI.

Prank on the medical staff

In 2021, Sachin Tendulkar pulled a prank on the medical staff before a game for the India Legends in the Road Safety World Series. Given that the pandemic was still active, players were tested before every match. During a routine test, the medical staff took Tendulkar’s nasal swab, and he screamed in fake pain. The incident left the staff for a moment before Tendulkar burst into laughter, and everyone followed his cue.

April Fool's prank

On this year’s April Fool's Day, Sachin Tendulkar pulled a prank on his friend and posted it on his social media. Tendulkar hired his doppelganger and asked him to wait in the former’s van. When a friend of Tendulkar entered the van and hugged the doppelganger without realising that it wasn’t the original Tendulkar, the doppelganger turned around and got angry at Tendulkar's friend. The man stood, embarrassed and shocked, but still failed to recognise that the doppelganger was not the real Tendulkar. Finally, moments later, Tendulkar entered the van, and the friend simply could not believe he had been pranked. All three and the camera crew burst into laughter.

As the legend turns 53, we pray that he enjoys a healthy life filled with many more moments of laughter.