When Tendulkar battled cramps and diarrhoea during 2003 World Cup

India’s batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has been an inspiration to every newbie in the sport but very few know that he batted with all the power and has registered some epic scores while keeping his health at risk.

Every cricket fan remembers Tendulkar’s 98 against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup when he batted while battling cramps. However, no one knew the risk he had taken during the next game against Sri Lanka tp play while suffering from severe diarrhoea.

The batting great, in India Today‘s Christmas special programme ‘Inspiration’, recalled how the match against Pakistan was the only game in which he ever took a runner.

“Pakistan is the only game that I have ever taken a runner in my life. That was the World Cup game I couldn’t even stand and it felt like someone has tied 500 kg weights. You can check with our then physio Andrew Leipus,” Tendulkar said recollecting an innings remembered for his six off Shoaib Akhtar over the third man.

People remember the 98 but what Tendulkar went through before and during the match against Sri Lanka in Johannesburg was unimaginable as he was forced to carry tissue paper suffering from a bout of diarrhoea. And he scored 97 in India’s 183 run win.

Also read: When 30 years ago the world got Sachin Tendulkar in Tests

Tendulkar’s 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa are the highest runs scored by an individual in a single edition but there were two matches where the maestro pushed his body beyond its limit.

“I was cramping ….and I took a quick single which wasn’t a wise thing to do. As it happened I collapsed and I said I can’t go on like this and I tried standing up and I couldn’t. So I thought because of cramping, the damage done was severe,” Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar believes that both Centurion where India played Pakistan and Johannesburg where they played Sri Lanka being at high altitude delayed his recovery.

So before Sri Lanka match, Tendulkar said he took too much fluid to recover from cramps and it boomeranged.

“I had a tummy problem. Because I didn’t want to cramp in the next match, I kept having so much salt (water) and I had terrible diarrhoea,” he said.

Asked did he have second thoughts going out to bat in a physical situation like that, Tendulkar, the eternal team man, said: “Those are the challenges you face when you have to go out there and play, no matter what if I was able to stand there, bat or not. I was always going to go out there on the field.”

(With inputs from agencies)