Sachin Tendulkar visits bat manufacturing unit in Awantipora

Awantipora, Feb 17: Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar unexpectedly stopped by a local bat factory on Saturday afternoon, leaving over a dozen workers and the owner in awe of the surprise visit.

Tendulkar, known as the "God of Cricket" in India, briefly toured the factory floor where wide-eyed employees were diligently crafting bats.

At around 2 Pm, Tendulkar along with his family visited M.J Sports (MJS), located in Charsoo village of Awantipora on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway to see the bat manufacturing process.

Taking to Greater Kashmir, the factory owners said that they were rather unaware of the visit of Tendulkar.

“We were surprised when we saw him making a pit stop near our factory and walking inside”, said Mohammad Shaheen Parray, one of the owners of the factory.

The record-breaking run scorer in international cricket was accompanied by his wife Anjali Tendulkar and daughter Sara Tendulkar.

“He admired the Kashmir willow bats and said that they are good for better stroke play," said Parray.

He said that the Master Blaster informed them that he had heard about the bats manufactured by the MJS and also interacted with the workers at the factory, praising their craftsmanship.

" Later, they also joined us for a cup of tea at our house," said Parray.

MJS manufactures at least 200 bats per day and provides employment to 17 people, which include craftsmen and other workers.

Earlier, Tendulkar and his family paid a visit to the ancient Martand Tirath temple in the Mattan area of Anantnag.