MUMBAI: More than 25 years after he was deified for the first time by the Indian public, Sachin Tendulkar was officially immortalised at roughly 5.20 PM at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
The ceremony, attended by the likes of Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Jay Shah, BCCI secretary, lasted 30 minutes.
The statue, placed between the Vijay Merchant Pavilion and Sachin Tendulkar Stand, was unveiled to piped chants of 'Sachinnnn, Sachinnnn' blaring on the speakers.
Later, Tendulkar, who played his last international match in the same venue against West Indies in 2013, addressed a select gathering. Some excerpts: "It's a very special moment for me. I received a call in February about the prospect of having a statue of me inside this Stadium. I was delighted, but I didn't know how to react to be honest. Truly humbled. I dedicate this (statue) to all the cricketers who have played with me," said the Master Blaster.
It was here the Indian team last won the ODI World Cup beating Sri Lanka in the final of 2011. Speaking of the triumph, Tendulkar said, "That day in 2013 was the most emotional day in the field for me but 2011 was the happiest when we won the World Cup here. I said I wanted to do it and to happen at the home venue and this special ground. I couldn't have asked for anything more. My preparation for 2011 started in 2007."
He expressed pleasure over the way Rohit Sharma and Co were playing at the ongoing World Cup but refused to say anything beyond that. "Our team has been playing a different brand of cricket. It's been a joy to watch them play, happy to see how they have played. They know what's expected of them so I'm not going to say anything further."
Tendulkar declined captaincy following the 2007 World Cup debacle. He instead suggested MS Dhoni for the role. "The real reason was that my body was giving me trouble. I remember having that meeting with Sharad Pawar before a game at The Oval. I told him 'my leadership role as a player will always be there but just that it won't have a captaincy next to my name'. Both my ankles were giving me issues. I had to go out of the field every now and then to unstrap them, ice my ankles before strapping them up again. Instead, I suggested a name because I used to interact with MS Dhoni a lot," he said.