OMGSACHIN: Missed being at Rahul Dravid's felicitation event: Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar has said he missed being at Rahul Dravid’s felicitation function here on Tuesday night. The Little Master was a notable absentee at the event organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“I spoke to Rahul in the morning (Tuesday morning) and expressed my inability to attend the function. Much as I would have liked to be present, it was not simply possible. I had to leave for London and this trip was arranged much earlier. I had to meet the doctors urgently,” Tendulkar told DNA from London on Wednesday evening.

There was a lot of speculation over Tendulkar’s absence, but he said he was not aware of the felicitation until recently. “I got to know about this function only three days ago and it was not possible to rearrange my schedule,” Tendulkar said. He has gone to London to seek medical advice on the inflammation on his right toe.

Besides Dravid, Tendulkar also spoke to BCCI president N Srinivasan, secretary Sanjay Jagdale and chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty. “He had to rush to London urgently because of an appointment with a doctor, and he spoke to all of us expressing regret over not being present in the evening,” Shetty told this paper.

Tendulkar, however, paid glowing tributes to Dravid, his teammate for over 16 years. “If I were to be present at the function, I would have dwelt on his dedication, discipline and commitment to the game and the Indian team,” Tendulkar said when asked about what he would have said in his speech. “I would have also spoken about the number of great innings he played for India.”

The Master Blaster, who recently scored his 100th international hundred, said it would not be easy to point out one great moment of Dravid in his large body of work but singled out the 180 against Australia in Kolkata in 2001 as his favourite innings. “His partnership with VVS Laxman in Kolkata ismy favourite Dravid moment,” Tendulkar said when pressed for an answer.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have confirmed that Tendulkar would be available for the entire season of the IPL 5. “I can categorically say Sachin is available for the entire duration of the IPL. He has gone to London just for consultation and is scheduled to be back soon. He will join the team camp on March 31,” a spokesman for the Mumbai Indians said. He also ruled out surgery on Tendulkar’s injured toe. Tendulkar is the captain of the Mumbai Indians team.