Surprise gift bowls over Indian pace-duo

The 'All fools day' brought joy to the lives of Natarajan and Shardul Thakur. The Indian pacers were the recipients of a brand new Mahindra Thar, courtesy a gift from business tycoon Anand Mahindra.

Beaming with delight, Natarajan took to Twitter to acknowledge the encouragement showered up him.

"Playing cricket for India is the biggest privilege of my life. My #Rise has been on an unusual path. Along the way, the love and affection, I have received has overwhelmed me. The support and encouragement from wonderful people, helps me find ways to #ExploreTheImpossible," tweet the Tamil Nadu speedster.

In return, Natarajan, visibly humbled, handed over his signed match jersey from the famous Gabba Test.

"As I drive the beautiful @Mahindra_Thar home today, I feel immense gratitude towards Shri @anandmahindra for recognising my journey & for his appreciation. I trust sir, that given your love for cricket, you will find this signed shirt of mine from the #Gabba Test," he added.

Delight for Shardul Thakur

Another recipient of this piece of generosity from Anand Mahinda was the Mumbai medium-pacer Shardul Thakur.

Known for his 'khadoos' approach to bowling and an inherent ability to take wickets, Thakur has been putting in splendid performances in the past few months for India across multiple formats.

The Mumbaikar acknowledged his gift on Twitter.

"New Mahindra Thar has arrived!! @MahindraRise has built an absolute beast & I'm so happy to drive this SUV. A gesture that youth of our nation will look upto. Thank you once again Shri @anandmahindra ji, @pakwakankar ji for recognising our contribution on the tour of Australia," he said.

Why is Anand Mahindra showering these gifts?

The business tycoon is renowned for his savvy usage of Twitter in highlighting current affairs and matters that demand attention.

He also makes no secret about his love for sports and cricket in particular. Therefore, when India achieve the improbable and breached "fort Gabba" while vanquishing the formidable Aussies, he made a promise.

"Six young men made their debuts in the recent historic series #INDvAUS (Shardul's 1 earlier appearance was short-lived due to injury)They've made it possible for future generations of youth in India to dream & Explore the Impossible," he had said at the time.

Promising the all-new Mahindra Thar, he said - "Theirs are true 'Rise' stories; overcoming daunting odds in the pursuit of excellence. They serve as an inspiration in all arenas of life. It gives me great personal pleasure to gift each of these debutants an All New THAR SUV on my own account—at no expense to the company."

Such actions of generosity only amplify the feat that was achieved by the Indian cricket team on their tour of Australia. It is also an apt recognition of a young breed of small-town players that have now turned in to world-beaters and in the process inspired countless other youngsters across this vast land.

Further, Anand Mahindra also went on to highlight the importance of traversing the path less trodden.

"The reason for this gift is to exhort young people to believe in themselves & 'Take the road less traveled.' Bravo Mohammed, Shardul, Shubhman,Natarajan,Navdeep & Washington!"