‘Pleasant surprise’: Sachin Tendulkar on his life-size statue at Wankhede stadium | Cricket News – Times of India
In a special gesture, the MCA said that a life-size statue of Tendulkar will be erected inside the iconic Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.
Expressing a joy over the development, Sachin said it came as a pleasant surprise for him and the stadium gave him wonderful memories.
“This decision is a pleasant surprise for me, 1988 is when it all started at the Wankhede. The journey started here for me. Played my first Ranji match here. Long ago, Achrekar sir reprimanded me here and from thereon I became a serious cricketer. I played my last match at this very venue. Life has come full circle for me here. I have wonderful memories of this place, some memorable and some not-so-good. It’s a big moment for me,” Sachin said.
#WATCH | Mumbai: On his life-size statue being erected inside Wankhede stadium by MCA, Cricket legend Sachin Tendul… https://t.co/DtHn5QlxQ8
— ANI (@ANI) 1677561172000
The legendary batter reminisced about his memories of the Wankhede and said that it holds a special place in his heart.
“I am still a 25 -year-old with 25 years of experience I would say. It’s good and I would like to thank the MCA for this really great gesture. It’s a very special place for me and a lot of things happened in my career because of the MCA. The amount of time that I have spent here is second to none and I have enjoyed being here and playing here. A special place for me. I got the message from MCA regarding the statue and it’s a special occasion for me. I came here to discuss the type of statue that will be created and to identify a place for it. Things such as these are rare and unique,” stated the former India player.
‘Pleasant Surprise’: Sachin Tendulkar on life-size statue to be erected at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium
MCA president Amol Kale told TOI that he’s hoping “the statue will be unveiled during the ODI World Cup in India later this year.”
“Every Mumbaikar, rather the world knows about Sachin’s contribution to cricket. He’s the pride of the cricketing fraternity and a Bharat Ratna as well. As a small token of appreciation of his work, and as a special gift on his 50th birthday, the MCA will put up a life-size statue in the premises of the Wankhede Stadium, something similar to the statue of Shane Warne at the MCG. We approached him a couple of weeks back (with this idea), and a couple of days back, we gave his consent. So now, we’ll decide where to put up the statue soon. At the same time, we’ll decide when to unveil it. We are planning to do it during the ODI World Cup, so that the entire cricketing fraternity is present during its unveiling,” Kale told TOI.
Tendulkar already has a stand named after him at the Wankhede Stadium. In 2021, the MCA decided to honour batting great Sunil Gavaskar with a special box and former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar with a stand.
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