The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) inaugurated the statue of Sachin Tendulkar at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, November 1. The ceremony took place at 5:00 pm. Sachin’s statue has been installed near the Sachin Tendulkar stand in the stadium. This statue is dedicated to 50 years of his life. Sachin celebrated his 50th birthday in April this year.
Apart from Sachin Tendulkar, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and NCP leader Sharad Pawar were also present at the unveiling ceremony.
After a successful career spanning two decades, Sachin played his 200th and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium in November 2013.
Talking about the coming up of the statue, Sachin Tendulkar had said in March this year, ‘I am very happy. It all started in 1988 at Wankhede. This is where I played my first Ranji match. Before I became a professional player, it was here that coach Achrekar sir reprimanded me and after that I became a serious cricketer. This is a very special place for me, I have very special memories associated with this place. It is a big thing for my statue to be built in Wankhede Stadium.
The final of the 2011 ODI World Cup was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Here India defeated Sri Lanka and won the World Cup after 28 years. India became the first host team to win the World Cup. Before this, no team had won the World Cup on its own soil. With this, Sachin Tendulkar’s dream of winning the World Cup was also fulfilled.