By Chetan Sharma

New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS): Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been the heartthrob of Indian cricket fans for decades. There have been several instances where cricket fans said that they have stopped watching the sport following Tendulkar's retirement in 2013.

It turns out that Indian women's wicket-keeper batter Sushma Verma is no different as the 27-year-old recently revealed that she used to be an avid Mumbai Indian follower until the Master Blaster called it quits after the 2013 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"I don't watch much of the IPL now. I used to watch Mumbai Indians play when Sachin used to be a part of it," Sushma told IANS while adding that Test cricket is something she enjoys the most.

Like any Indian cricket fan, Sushma also admitted her admiration for the 47-year-old cricket icon and remembered an instance when the Himachal Pradesh-based travelled to Dharamsala to watch Tendulkar play for the Mumbai Indians. But she had to go back home disappointed.

"I do admire Sachin Tendulkar a lot. Actually, Mumbai Indians had come to Dharamsala to play and I was hoping to see Sachin play. But Sachin did not turn up to play. So, after that I decided not to watch it again," Sushma said.

The wicket-keeper batswoman, who is currently looking to get back into the Indian side, further said she is also a MS Dhoni fan and remembered an instance when she met the recently retired former Indian captain.

"I have met Dhoni with the whole team and I introduced myself to him and told him that I am too a wicketkeeper. Then he told me to keep up the good work. I like his style of batting and he was a great Indian captain," said Sushma.

The 27-year-old has so far played 1 Test, 38 ODIs and 19 T20Is for the Indian women's team.