At the Wankhede stadium, fans will soon be able to see a life-size statue of cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. Amol Kale, president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), announced the news on Tuesday. It will be the first time a player’s statue has been erected at the iconic stadium. The statue will be unveiled during the ICC World Cup in 2023. It will be installed on a circular platform outside the MCA lounge.
The MCA is commemorating the Master Blaster’s Golden Jubilee year at the Wankhede, and the statue is a part of the celebration. There are only a few life-size statues in cricket stadiums across the country. So far, only three statues of former Indian captain Colonel CK Nayudu have been erected.
They are in Indore at the Holkar Stadium, Nagpur at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium, and Andhra Pradesh at the VDCA stadium. The Master Blaster attended the MCA with Amol Kale and spoke with reporters.
“This decision is a pleasant surprise for me, 1998 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.
The legendary batter reminisced about his Wankhede memories, saying 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.
MCA President Amol Kale stated that the statue will be unveiled during India’s hosting of the 2023 ICC World Cup.
“We will unveil the statue during the World Cup as a lot of members from the cricket fraternity will be here and will try to make it a grand occasion,” Kale said.
Sachin has played 200 Tests, 463 ODIs, and 1 T20I for India, scoring 34,357 runs in total. With 100 hundreds to his name, the Master Blaster holds the record for most international centuries. In 2011, he won the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium.
