Watch: When Virat Kohli brought Sachin Tendulkar to tears with a priceless gift

Mumbai/Bhubaneswar: The year 2013 marked an end of an era in not just cricket but also sports in general after the legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement.

Having made his debut for Team India at the age of 16 in 1989, not a single Indian personality united the country more than Tendulkar. Most centuries, most runs, most caps, Tendulkar has broken virtually every record in the game of cricket.

In a recent interview with American journalist Graham Bensinger, Tendulkar recalled the day of his retirement and how superstar Virat Kohli made him really emotional with a priceless gift.

“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 said.

Kohli himself was on Bensinger’s show two years ago where he explained his unusual choice for a gift.

“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 had said.

Given how invaluable the gift was, Tendulkar added that he had to return it to Kohli.

“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,” the 48-year-old said.