Puttaparthi (Andhra Pradesh) [India], November 19 (ANI): Bharat Ratna and legendary India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar attended the birth centenary celebrations of Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi, where he shared a heartfelt memory from India's 2011 World Cup triumph.

'I remember in 2011, after having played multiple World Cups, I knew that was going to be my last World Cup. We were having a camp in Bengaluru and I received a phone call saying that Baba has sent you his book. It brought a smile to my face,' he said.

Tendulkar added that the blessing felt special and inspiring at a crucial moment.

'I knew that this World Cup was going to be a special one for us. It gave me that confidence, that inner strength... That book became my constant companion,' he shared.

Reflecting on India's historic win, he said the moment remains unmatched in his career, 'We all know what happened after that in 2011 when India played against Sri Lanka in Mumbai and ended up lifting that trophy. The entire nation was celebrating. It was the golden moment of my cricketing life. I don't think I've experienced anything like that in my career where the entire nation got together and they were celebrating. That was only possible because of the blessings of our well-wishers and our gurus and above all, Baba's blessings,' Tendulkar said.

India won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup by defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Tendulkar finished as the tournament's second-highest run-scorer, amassing 482 runs at an average of 53.55, including two centuries and two half-centuries.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was felicitated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as they attended the birth centenary celebrations of Satya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi on Wednesday.

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Union Ministers Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and G Kishan Reddy were also present.

The celebrations included cultural dance performances and singing. (ANI)