This may be Sachin’s final test in India whites but former Indian captain and team mate Sourav Ganguly wants it to be more special.
This may be Sachin’s final test in India whites but former Indian captain and team mate Sourav Ganguly wants it to be more special. ‘Dada’ has appealed to his city’s cricket buffs to fill up the Eden Gardens during the Nov 6-10 Test match series against West Indies and give a befitting farewell to Sachin Tendulkar, who will be playing the penultimate game of his glittering career.
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced that Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium wouldill host the 200th and penultimate test match of Tendulkar’s career on Nov 14-18, Eden Gardens will host Tendulkar’s 199th Test match.
Talking to the press, Ganguly said, “I appeal to the cricket aficionados of Kolkata to fill up Eden. Not a single seat should be empty. We must give Sachin a grand felicitation,” said Ganguly, who shared the Indian dressing room for one and half decades with the Mumbaikar.
Expressing happiness at Eden getting to host the match, Ganguly said “It is a great feeling. It will enthuse local youngsters who can see him in action for India for the last time”. However, Ganguly feels that with emotion likely to run high among the people, the two Test matches are going to be a tough task for Tendulkar. “It will not be easy to play in such an emotion-surcharged atmosphere. He has to concentrate leaving aside everything else. I hope he will be among runs,” he said.
The Eden Gardens has been a good hunting ground for the Master Blaster. In 12 matches played here, Sachin has scored 862 runs at an average of 47.89 that included 2 tons. The West Indies test provides a good opportunity for Sachin to finally bid adieu to his Kolkata fans who once revered him over their ‘Prince’.
