When Sachin Tendulkar Opened Up On Returning The Sacred Thread Virat Kohli Gifted Him During His Last Test

The Delhi batter announced his Test retirement today.

Monday morning, on May 12, the world woke up to the saddest, albeit inevitable, news in the world of cricket. Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket via an Instagram post. This comes about a month before an all-important England Test series. While all the former players and fans pay tribute to his legendary career, Sachin Tendulkar has also shared an anecdote about Virat Kohli when the master was retiring from the game.

Among the many titles given to Kohli, one is the answer to ‘Who is the next Sachin Tendulkar?’ Time bears witness to Kohli’s wonders in the longest format of the game. During his 210 Test innings, he amassed 9,230 runs with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. He fell just short of his lifelong dream of completing 10K Test runs. However, he has left behind a legacy not just with the bat, but through what he brought to the game. On this emotional day, Tendulkar jogged our memory to recall another Kohli special.

Sachin Tendulkar on Virat Kohli

Tendulkar took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a wholesome memory of Kohli from more than a decade ago.

He said, “I’m reminded of your thoughtful gesture 12 years ago, during my last Test. You offered to gift me a thread from your late father. It was something too personal for me to accept, but the gesture was heartwarming and has stayed with me ever since. While I may not have a thread to offer in return, please know that you carry my deepest admiration and very best wishes.”

Check out the full post here:

As you retire from Tests, I'm reminded of your thoughtful gesture 12 years ago, during my last Test. You offered to gift me a thread from your late father. It was something too personal for me to accept, but the gesture was heartwarming and has stayed with me ever since. While I… pic.twitter.com/JaVzVxG0mQ
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 12, 2025

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The Auspicious Thread story between Tendulkar-Kohli

Tendulkar called off time on his cricket career in 2013 after a Test match against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. It was the same ground where Kohli had lifted Tendulkar on his shoulder after winning the iconic 2011 World Cup.

After Tendulkar returned to the dressing room, he was quite moved.

He quoted that moment as, “I was sitting in one corner alone, with a towel on my head, wiping tears, and I was really emotional.”

At this moment, Kohli wanted to show his respect to the Master Blaster. He did so by giving him an auspicious thread that had belonged to his late father. Kohli lost his father, Prem, in December 2006, when he was just 18.

Though Tendulkar kept the thread with him for some time, he returned it to Kohli, stating how priceless it is, and it should always stay with him.

Later, Kohli elaborated on his side of the story.

He said, “We felt like how a child feels when they’re scared or they’re by themselves at night, you know, walking home and feel that sort of that hollow and that, you know, emptiness around you. All of us felt like that. 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. my father gave this to me, and I think, I couldn’t give you [Tendulkar] anything more valuable, and I just want you to know how much you’ve inspired me and what you mean to all of us, and this is my little gift to you’.”