Former England football captain David Beckham, who was in attendance as India beat New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium, described his meet with iconic Sachin Tendulkar as “special”.
Beckham was one of the star celebrities at the Wankhede Stadium to witness India’s World Cup semi-final clash against New Zealand. Beckham met Sachin as well as players from the Indian and New Zealand teams before the beginning of the match. He was also spotted having a chat with stalwart batter Virat Kohli as well as former cricketer Ravi Shastri.
The iconic English midfielder talked about the time that he spent with “Master Blaster’ and the time that he spent with the players on the field.
“It was very special, I met Sachin for the first time at Wimbledon and it was special to meet him then, firstly he is the best but as a person he is even better. But to spend time with him is even better, for me to spend some time with him in his house was very special, but for me spending time with all the players they were going into an important game so it was nice that they were able to come and say hello it was a pleasure to meet them all,” Beckham said in a video posted by BCCI.
Before establishing himself as one of the best in the world of football, Beckham used to play cricket in school and saw himself as a batter.
“I used to play cricket when I was a young kid at school and I always liked being a batsman, I also liked to bowl and field so maybe I am an all-rounder, but I see myself more as a batter,” Beckham added.
Coming to the match, India opted to bat first and scored 397/4 in their 50 overs. Skipper Rohit Sharma (47 in 29 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) and Shubman Gill (80 in 66 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) delivered a fine start with a 71-run opening stand.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell stitched up a partnership to pull the Kiwis back into the game. But Shami’s seven-wicket haul left the Blackcaps without answers and India went on to register a 70-run victory.
India’s opposition for the final is yet to be decided as South Africa and Australia square off in the second semi-final at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.