International Lefthanders day: How the legendary Sachin Tendulkar turned right-handed from left-handed

The International Left Handers day is celebrated all over the world on August 13. Left-handers comprise about seven to ten per cent of the world's population but the percentage goes up to almost 20% when it comes to cricket. The world has seen many left-handers touch great heights in world cricket. 

Sachin Tendulkar is the most prolific batter ever in the history of international cricket. He used to bat right-handed, bowl right-handed but what's interesting is that he is a left-hander off the field. 

The legendary cricketer is predominantly a left-hander, doing most of the things with the help of the left hand such as writing. In an interview with Gaurav Kapur on the popular chat show 'Breakfast with Champions' in 2018, Tendulkar said that he had no option but to turn into a right-handed batter. When he was 10 years old, there was only one cricket kit in his house. The kit belonged to his brother Ajit who was a right-hander. 

Tendulkar recalled that during his school days, two innings per team were supposed to be completed in a single day's play and the teams switched hands while batting. That's when he learnt to bat left-handed.

Tendulkar, during the 2011 World Cup campaign, hit a spinner for three sixes back to back while batting left-handed. There were reports at that time that it would be Tendulkar's secret weapon in the World Cup.

Another Indian legend Sourav Ganguly has a similar story. Ganguly, one of the prettiest left-handed batters to watch, was a right-hander during his early days. His elder brother Snehasish Ganguly was a left-hander and Sourav wanted to use his gear. So he had to turn left-handed and the rest was history.