His friendship with the legendary batsman goes back 24 years, when the duo was selected for the New Zealand tour. Later on, they were in the touring party to England too. Hirwani, however, first saw Tendulkar as a 15-year-old in Indore in 1987 when he came to attend the India U-15 camp.
"Vasu Paranjpe, the India U-15 coach back then, would always talk highly about this little boy. I had just come back after India's Under-19 tour of Australia, so when I heard so much about him, I went to bowl to him in the nets. It was a challenge to bowl to him even at that stage," recalled Hirwani to TOI on Tuesday.
"Sachin was my roommate for the entire 72-day tour. The way he used to prepare was clearly different from others. He would never think anything other than cricket, and it's same now. He would eat, drink and breath the game. He would either 'shadow practice' or clean his bat. He would visualize and analyze what could he have done better on the field. Probably that's why he is on the top," Hirwani said.
Tendulkar would treat Hirwani as a senior, since the latter made his India debut before him. "He must have made tea for me for 62 out of those 72 days. I owed it to him and later told him: 'I will make tea for you for 70 years now. I also remember we would close the curtains during dinner as sunshine remains in England till 8.30-9pm... just to have that 'feel' of dinner," Hirwani said.
The tweaker recalled a young Tendulkar's passion for driving. "I remember visiting his home. He had a white Maruti 800. When I was talking to his parents and brother, he would interrupt and frequently ask 'how will you go?' He wasn't allowed to drive those days, and used to look for a chance to drive. Finally, he convinced his parents and brother that he would drop me to Shivaji Park," recalled the 45-year-old.
Both always enjoyed taking each other on in the nets. "Even if he was done with his batting, he would come to face me whenever I start bowling. We would play 'mock cricket.' I would always challenge him. I would tell him that I have placed fielders in certain positions and if he played in the air, I would consider him out. He would fight with me that he wasn't out and had hit the ball in the gaps. He would always like challenges. He was always very caring about bowlers. So whenever I would go to bat, he made sure there's extra protection in my gloves," he said.
The two were once again together during India's tour to England in 1996. "That time my son Mihir was just one-and-half-years. I would always miss him, so I would call Sachin 'mera Chhotu' and then we would have a good laugh. Now, whenever he comes home or meets my son, he calls him Chhotu and not Mihir," said Hirwani.
Hirwani also played under Tendulkar's captaincy and felt he was unlucky in that area. "He could have been a very good captain. He has a brilliant cricket brain. As a player, he was never afraid of losing his place in the side, but there was always uncertainty about his captaincy," he felt.
Hirwani became a national selector in 2008 and Tendulkar was at his peak during his tenure. "When I met him as a selector for the first time, he gave me a 'different' look and we both burst into laughter. Our friendship remained the same even after I became a selector and he played unbelievably well during my tenure. He batted beautifully in South Africa against Dale Steyn. After that match, I told him: 'I am confused, whether you are better person or a player'," he signed off.
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