Tendulkar's mom overwhelmed by fans' reception

It is learnt Rajni, for whom a special ramp was built to facilitate her wheelchair's entry into the President's Box, has not stepped out of their house in the last one-and-a-half years.

Sachin Tendulkar meets his mother Rajni after India's win over West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium. Pic/Prakash Parsekar

"It was tremendous to see Tendulkar's mother making it to the ground everyday. It was terrific for the whole family. She hasn't stepped out of the house for a very long time.

They (family members) were surprised to see her mustering so much energy to come all the way to Churchgate from Bandra," a source close to the family, said.

Emotions were running high inside the President's Box where the Tendulkars were seated. Rajni along with Sachin's brothers, Nitin and Ajit, and wife Anjali were overwhelmed at the reception the legendary batsman received on Saturday.

"Tendulkar's mother cried a bit. She got emotional. She was delighted to see the fans go crazy," the source said. Later on, Rajni got nostalgic. "She was describing how she kept fasts and prayed whenever he played a match," added the source.

She also felt Tendulkar could have played for another year. "The way he batted on Friday, she felt he could have played for another year."

Once Tendulkar was through with the presentation, he came to the President's Box and hugged Rajni. "Tendulkar told his mother that he would now see her in the night after everything is done."

The source also added that Rajni was thrilled at the prospect of seeing him by her side more often now.

Tough controlling emotions: Nitin
Nitin, the eldest brother of Sachin Tendulkar, is known to be a man of few words. Like everyone at the Wankhede, he too was overwhelmed with the reception his younger brother got. "It was certainly a very emotional moment. At one point it was tough to control (my emotions)," said Nitin.u00a0