CRICKETING legend Sachin Tendulkar has bamboozled some of the world’s greatest bowlers and clocked up more runs than any other batsman in history.

But the man known as ‘God’ by his most passionate fans seemed to want to get away from it all when he dropped into Great Haseley for lunch.

The former India captain ate at The Plough before hitting the headlines when he tweeted to ask his followers for a lift, claiming he had missed the last bus.

He later tweeted admitting he had not been stranded in the village at all and had actually been playing a joke on his followers, some of whom said they would have driven long distances to collect him.

The Plough’s landlord Steve Webster said Mr Tendulkar had ordered in advance at the pub but nobody realised who he was until he turned up with four friends.

He said: “He rang up and placed an order at about 1.30pm and then he turned up about 25 minutes later.

“We sort of recognised him when he came in but he did not mention his name on the phone.

“Then suddenly we knew it was him.

“He came with four others and they had a couple of steaks, a curry, fish and chips and sausage and mash.

“He walked past the hotplate and said hello to me. He was very friendly and he chatted away and thanked us for the food.

“Then they chilled out in the a garden for a couple of hours.”

Mr Tendulkar, also known as the ‘Little Master’, was in London at the end of last week to watch tennis at Wimbledon and he later tweeted pictures of himself at a bus stop in Great Haseley and outside St Peter’s Church in the village.

The superstar sportsman did not say why he visited Great Haseley but he is not the only celebrity to have been drawn in by its charms.

Comedian Mel Smith once called it home and pop star Will Young is reportedly living there while his home in London is renovated.

Mr Webster, who has been landlord at the pub since November, said: “We have a local cricket team and somebody mentioned that if he had come the day after he could have played for them.

“It has been mad since he came, I’ve been interviewed on the radio and for the papers.

“It has been all over the news.”