The cup that outlasted 24 years of cricket
Before a single ball was bowled, before the pads went on, before the roar of the crowd — there was a kettle. Sachin Tendulkar recently shared an Instagram video that had nothing to do with centuries or records. In it, he is seen quietly dipping a green tea bag into hot water, and explaining, almost casually, that this small act has been part of his morning routine for as long as he can remember.
"A cup of tea has been part of more innings than most people realise," he wrote in the caption. It's the kind of line that sounds simple until you sit with it for a moment.
Why he always made it himself
What makes the video stick is not the tea itself but the reason behind the habit. Tendulkar explains that on match mornings he did not want anyone entering his room — not even to bring him tea. "The last thing I wanted was someone coming to my room and saying, 'Sir, your tea is ready,'" he says in the clip. "Nahi, I like making things on my own. It's peaceful and enjoyable."
He adds that the same habit has carried over into home life. There is no grand philosophy here, just a quiet preference for doing one small thing yourself — a kind of controlled calm before whatever comes next. Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan summed it up in three words in the comments: "Chai is love."
Why this matters for a food audience in India
India has a complicated, deeply personal relationship with chai. It is ritual, comfort, conversation starter and — as Tendulkar's video quietly demonstrates — sometimes a tool for mental preparation. The fact that one of the most celebrated athletes in the country chose green tea over the classic masala chai is itself a small data point worth noting: the shift toward green tea as a mindful, everyday habit has been growing steadily across urban India, and seeing a figure like Tendulkar associate it with focus and peace rather than wellness buzzwords makes it feel genuinely accessible.
Fans in the comments mirrored the warmth back. One wrote that he too makes his own black coffee every morning. Another cracked a cricket pun about "fif-teas." Someone even asked which green tea brand he recommends. The video, in other words, did what the best food content does — it turned a mundane act into a shared moment.
The small stuff, remembered
What lingers after watching the clip is how unremarkable the ritual actually is, and how that is precisely the point. No chef-grade equipment, no elaborate pour-over setup — just a hotel kettle, a tea bag, and a few minutes of quiet before the world rushes in. For a man who played 664 international matches, the consistency of that small act feels almost more impressive than the numbers.
"Enjoy your tea also. Bye for now," he signs off. Hard not to smile at that.