A large statue of legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was unveiled at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ahead of India’s upcoming World Cup match against Sri Lanka. The statue was placed next to the Sachin Tendulkar stand inside the stadium and depicts the ‘Master Blaster’ in what can be assumed to be an elevated straight drive.
The event was graced by the presence of several dignitaries including Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla among others. The statue was designed by Pramod Kamble, a renowned painter and sculptor hailing from Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.
Notably, Sachin played the last international match of his playing career at the Wankhede Stadium in front of a packed house in November 2013. He scored a fifty (74 off 118 balls) against the West Indies to help India win the encounter. innings and 126 runs.
Even after almost 10 years of retirement, Sachin holds some significant records in the sport. He is the leading run-getter (18426) in ODIs and Tests (15921 runs). The 50-year-old also holds the record for the highest number of centuries in ODIs and Tests. The former right-handed batsman has scored 49 ODI tons and 51 hundreds in the longest format of the sport.
While most of his records seem safe at the moment, Virat Kohli is on the verge of equaling Sachin’s record for the most ODI hundreds. Virat has scored 48 centuries in the 50-over format and will be in action on Thursday, November 2 when India are set to take on Sri Lanka in the 33rd match of the ongoing World Cup at the Wankhede itself.
India have already won six out of six matches in the ongoing edition and a win against the Lankan Lions will take them to the semi-finals.
Tendulkar was accompanied by his wife Anjali and daughter Sara. Former BCCI and ICC chief Sharad Pawar, BCCI acting secretary Jay Shah, treasurer Ashish Shelar, vice-president Rajiv Shukla and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Amol Kale were present on the occasion, among others.
Tendulkar dedicated the evening to all his fellow cricketers who supported him throughout his 24-year international career for India.
“With the many players I played with, without their support and contribution, I wouldn’t have lasted 24 years with India, so I would like to dedicate this special evening to all the cricketers who played with me and not only played with me but also inspired millions (people) all over the world. I think it’s everyone’s hard work that moves the game forward and that’s our ultimate goal to keep cricket protected and get more eyes on the game. Fantastic news that cricket has now been included in the Olympics. So another opportunity for us to win a gold medal.”
