There was disappointment in store for fans who lined up in the thousands outside the gates of the HPCA Stadium for the Mumbai Indians-Kings XI Punjab IPL clash here on Saturday.
Almost every single one of them was there hoping to see Sachin Tendulkar in action at this hill town for the first time ever. The Maestro had quit the national one-day side well before Dharamsala hosted its first and so far, only ODI earlier this year against England, and this is the first time the Mumbai Indians are playing here.
Tendulkar, who spent time at the nets on Friday, has not recovered fully from the sprain picked up last Monday while batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and did not make the starting XI on the day. MI made two changes, giving Australian speedster Nathan Coulter-Nile and local lad Rishi Dhawan an outing, much to the approval of the crowd.
Team mentor Anil Kumble had warned on match eve that, “Sachin is recovering. We are hoping that he will be okay for tomorrow, but it is tough, it has been only three days now. Matches keep coming very quickly and it is important that he gets hundred percent (fit).”
Still, the packed stands got to see Tendulkar going through his paces as the teams warmed up under the hot Dharamsala sun, and cheered every time he had the ball or looked up at the bleachers.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/sadia-dehlvi-624
