Former England football captain David Beckham, who was
in attendance as Bharat beat New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium, described his
meet with iconic Sachin Tendulkar as “very special”.
Beckham was one of the star celebrities at the
Wankhede Stadium to witness Bharat’s World Cup semi-final clash against New
Zealand.
The legendary footballer admitted that he got goosebumps when he
stepped into the Wankhede Stadium with Sachin Tendulkar and added that the
cheering by the fans left him unable to decide whether football fans are louder
or cricket fans.
Beckham talked about the emotions
that he went through during that moment and said in a video posted by BCCI, “ I
think it’s nice to step into a stadium and get goosebumps and I felt it as soon
as I walked into this stadium maybe because I was walking with Sachin even when
there weren’t many people in the start I could feel it.”
Beckham met Sachin as well as players from the Indian
and New Zealand teams before the beginning of the match. He was 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, Bharat 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.
Bharat’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.
ANI
