# Sachin Tendulkar once fielded as substitute for Pakistan 2026-08-22T01:26:25+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A former Mumbai club cricketer, Shashi Kenkre, has revealed that Sachin Tendulkar once fielded as a substitute for the Pakistan cricket team during an exhibition match in the late 1980s. Kenkre, who was playing for a Mumbai club called Cricket Club of India, recalled that Pakistan players Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir had left the field to return to their hotel, prompting the organisers to ask for substitute fielders from the local team. Tendulkar, then a teenager, was the second choice after Khushru Madon. Kenkre said that at one point a high catch went towards Tendulkar, who sprinted after it but could not reach it, and was visibly upset. The revelation comes as a little-known anecdote from Tendulkar's early years, long before he became one of cricket's greatest batsmen. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The anecdote underscores how early Tendulkar's competitive drive emerged, even as a substitute. Club cricket in Mumbai during the 1980s was a tough proving ground, with many future India stars sharpening their skills there. For context, Tendulkar made his first-class debut for Mumbai in 1988 and his Test debut in 1989, shortly after this incident. The story adds a humanising detail to the legend, showing his frustration at a missed chance on a random day. It also highlights the informal, almost casual, nature of such exhibition matches where club cricketers could rub shoulders with international stars. ## Coverage - gulfnews.com Straight reporting of an anecdote with no editorialising or political angle. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Gulf News, Mumbai, Pakistan cricket team, Sachin Tendulkar, Shashi Kenkre Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sachin-tendulkar-once-fielded-as-substitute-for-pakistan/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sachin-tendulkar-once-fielded-as-substitute-for-pakistan/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/