A decade and half later, Sachin Tendulkar yesterday recalled the curious case of the mongoose that helped India win the 1993 Hero Cup semifinal. With Sachin defending just six runs off the last over of that memorable match, he recalled how whenever the mongoose came on, South Africa lost wickets.

From among the countless memories that Sachin Tendulkar has given to cricket fans all over the world, only a few include Sachin bowling. The most famous one of those, perhaps, is from the Hero Cup semifinal in 1993, when India beat South Africa at the Eden Gardens.

South Africa needed just 6 runs to win off the last over, and captain Md. Azharuddin took a huge gamble by giving the ball to Sachin, who somehow managed to create the pressure that brought down South Africa completing a memorable 3-run victory for India.

This is just what everyone knew. Now here's something that not many people knew. Sachin bowled a great last over but according to the man himself, there was another good omen that led to the Indian victory last night. A mongoose kept appearing on the field, and whenever it did, the South Africans lost wickets.

“I don’t know how many of you have noticed this but because it was the first day and night match, there was a mongoose which kept coming in the second half of the match. We got some wickets when it came. Then there were some runs and again the mongoose came and we got wickets. So I was waiting for the mongoose to keep coming. The match got rather close and I ended up bowling the last over.”

Tendulkar, who was speaking at an event in the City of Joy, could score only 15 with the bat in that particular match, but he made up for it by bowling a brilliant last over. Brian McMillan, the batsman on strike, took a single off the first ball, however, while trying to steal a second, non-striker Fanie de Villiers ran himself out. Tendulkar then bowled three dot balls to Allan Donald and gave away a single on the penultimate delivery. With a raucous crowd cheering for India, McMillan could only take a bye off the last ball and gave India a victory they would remember.

“When in Kolkata we used to have a joke running around –‘Pehle do wicket lelo , baki ke aath wickets crowd le leta hai’ (first take the first two wickets, the crowd will look after the rest).”

The Hero Cup semifinal was among Tendulkar's most memorable moments at the Eden Gardens. The fact that it was the fist day-night ODI in the stadium made it extra special. The iconic venue was also where South Africa made their comeback to international cricket after the long exile due to apartheid, and a crowd of over one lakh people welcomed them, a match where Sachin got the joint MoM award along with Allan Donald.

“It was quite memorable and completely different, the first day-and-night match where I ended up bowling the last over. The experience to see the entire stadium lit with torches was truly out of this world. They stay with you for the rest of your life. There have been so many memories when it comes to Kolkata. The first big moment for me was when we played against South Africa, who were getting back to the International cricket. We had a spectacular match, Donald had a fiery spell up front but we got a partnership going and ended up winning the game. All in all, the experience was overwhelming not just for South Africa but also for me.”