ISL: Lucky to have Sachin Tendulkar in our midst, says Kerala Blasters coach David James

Bengaluru, February 28: Kerala Blasters coach David James felt the club was lucky to have Sachin Tendulkar as the owner, pointing out that the cricket legend is an inspirational figure in the team.

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"Sachin has been with the team and watched a few games at the stadium," James said on the eve of their last Indian Super League match, against Bengaluru FC. "He's a valuable figure at the club. Players have tremendous respect for him - not just as a person, but also for his achievements in sports. He's not just a good cricketer but also a great man. Kerala is lucky to have him."

Renewing rivalry

Lalruatthara made 9 tackles and 12 clearances against @ChennaiyinF! Our favourite moment of his from the game was this acrobatic clearance!#KeralaBlasters #NammudeSwantham #HeroISL #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/WOxiDikqpx

— Kerala Blasters FC (@KeralaBlasters) February 25, 2018

James, enjoying his second stint as the Blasters coach, spoke about an incident from the 2014 ISL final. Blasters lost the final to Atletico de Kolkata at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai after conceding in injury time through Mohammed Rafique.

"I remember the 2014 final of the ISL," James said. "We lost to Atletico de Kolkata in Mumbai after conceding in the 94th minute and I was pretty down as a coach. But Sachin came up to me and cheered me up by saying that even he had lost a final - the Indian Premier League final - in Mumbai with the Mumbai Indians. It made me feel okay after the final."

Tendulkar, part of Mumbai Indians during his playing days, was referring to the loss in the 2010 IPL final to Chennai Super Kings.

Back in 2014, Tendulkar told the Kerala Blasters players that they had won hearts through their amazing performance in the ISL final.