The God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, wants to go back to where he started — well, at least in terms of the first car he owned. The legendary batsman ‘would love to’ once again own his first car, a Maruti 800, and he appealed to those who bought it to get in touch with him.

“My first car was a Maruti 800. Unfortunately, it is not with me right now. I would love to have it back again with me. So, people listening to me, feel free to contact and get in touch,” Tendulkar said on a special episode of Mudit Dani’s show ‘In the Sportlight’.

Tendulkar, who retired from cricket in 2013, added that he still felt emotionally connected to his first car that he bought with his own money after becoming a professional cricketer.

Maruti 800, a small city car that was manufactured by Maruti Suzuki and launched in 1983, was one of the most iconic cars in the country. The entry-level hatchback was one of the most popular cars in the Indian market. In 1983, the original Maruti 800 was priced at Rs 48,000.

Taking about his fetish for cars, the 47-year-old ex-cricketer, who has since become the owner of many super cars such as a BMW i8 and Nissan GT-R, said, “There was a massive open drive-in movie hall near my house where people used to park their cars and watch the movie, sitting in it. So I, along with my brother, used to stand in our balcony for hours to watch those cars.”

Reliving his cricketing memories, the master blaster recalled the incident when he shared the same spot as that of his idol Sunil Gavaskar when he first walked into the dressing room as a player for Mumbai. “I was standing right in front of the dressing room (as a ball boy), so I could observe how players prepare themselves for the game. Later I got invited by my hero Gavaskar in the dressing room,” Sachin said.

“I still remember he was sitting on the last seat right in the corner and coincidentally I also ended up sitting on the same spot when I started playing Ranji Trophy cricket. It was a coincidence to share the same spot as your hero but a magnificent coincidence,” the cricketer recalled.