Here’s why Sachin Tendulkar has set his watch 7 minutes fast since 1989

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Sachin Tendulkar has set his watch seven minutes fast for the past 35 years. He started the habit after being chided by former Indian captain Kapil Dev for leaving late for a team practice.
Sachin shared the story while receiving the Col. C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the BCCI annual awards ceremony in Mumbai on Saturday.
The incident happened on Sachin's iconic debut tour of Pakistan in 1989 when he was just 16. "The bus would leave for practice at 9, and a couple of times I was late," Sachin said. 'Kapil paji', who used to call Sachin as Tenlya, reminded him that the idea was not to start at 9, but to be present at 9. "Since then, I have this habit of keeping my watch seven minutes fast," Sachin said.

On distractions
Sachin's dedication to the game was exemplary, and it was no wonder he played at the highest level for nearly 25 years. On the occasion, Sachin gave a gem of advice to young cricketers. "Cricket has been the ultimate gift of my life. We have bat and ball, if you don't have a solid grip on it, you slowly lose grip on your career also.
"There will be distractions; don't let them disrupt your career. Value everything that we have and look after your game. We all have managed when we did not have anything, it is important to value when we have everything, and behave in the appropriate manner," Sachin.
On brands
Sachin said how he went a couple of years without a bat contract because of he chose not to promote products that he did not approve of. "In the mid 90s I played for two years without a bat contract because alcohol and tobacco companies were promoting heavily by using bat as a medium. At home it was a big decision we took as a family. After the 96 World Cup I got a contract. My family was the backbone, guiding me in the right direction," Sachin said.