Sachin Tendulkar recalled a special moment when he had
to return a gift from his then-young teammate Virat Kohli when he took
retirement from international cricket in 2013. Then a rising star Kohli gifted
Tendulkar a sacred thread that the former had received from his late father
Prem Kohli.

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“So I was sitting in one corner alone, with towel
on my head. (I was) wiping tears and I was really emotional. At that time,
Virat had come to me and Virat gave me the sacred thread that his father had
given him,” Tendulkar told American journalist Graham Bensinger on the latter’s
YouTube channel.

Kohli once explained the reason behind his choice of
gift.

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“We usually wear threads around our wrists. In
India, a lot of people do. So my father gave one to me, which he used to have.
So I used to keep that with me in my bag. And then I thought this is the most
valuable thing I have. So, my father gave this to me and I couldn’t give you
anything more valuable and I just want you know how much you have inspired me
and what you mean to all of us and this is my little gift to you,” Kohli
said.

Tendulkar said he felt that he had to return the gift
to his young teammate.

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“Kept that for a while and then returned that to
him again. I said this is priceless and this has to stay with you and no one
else. This is your property and you should have it till your last breath and I
gave it back to him. So it was an emotional moment, something that will always
be there in my memory.”

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Tendulkar took retirement from international cricket
in 2013 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai after playing a Test match against
West Indies.