New Delhi:
Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium is set to host the farewell Test for Sachin Tendulkar after the legendary batsman expressed a wish to play his landmark 200th match against the West Indies next month in front of his home crowd.
“Tendulkar has requested the BCCI to hold his farewell Test at Wankhede Stadium,” Mumbai Cricket Association president Ravi Sawant said.
“He has expressed his wish that the second and final Test of the series be held in Mumbai,” Sawant added.
A top BCCI official said that Mumbai is almost certain to host the historic match though it will be made official only after the BCCI’s tours and fixtures committee meets.
The BCCI’s tours and fixtures committee, headed by Rajiv Shukla, will meet on Tuesday to finalise the venues of the series.
The BCCI is also planning a grand farewell for Tendulkar, it has been learnt.
Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and Wankhede were the frontrunners to host Tendulkar’s farewell Test but the champion batsman’s letter to the board has swung it in favour of Mumbai, the city which gave the sport the greatest cricketer of the modern era.
The BCCI had squeezed in the home series against the West Indies to give Tendulkar an opportunity to retire in front of his home fans.
The first Test will be played from November 6-10 and the second from November 14-18.
The Carribean side will also play three ODIs slated for November 21, 24 and 27.
Tendulkar had on Thursday announced his decision to retire from Test cricket after playing his landmark match, bringing an end to the intense speculation about his future.
The 40-year-old Tendulkar, who has not been in the best of form in recent times, informed the BCCI about his decision to quit Test cricket after a glorious career spanning 24 years.
He has already retired from the IPL and the Champions League T20 event after his franchise Mumbai Indians won both the titles this year.
Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time and the most prolific run-maker of all time. His 198 Test appearances yielded 15,837 runs at an average of 53.86. From his 463 ODI matches, he had, under his belt, a whopping 18,426 at an average of 44.83. He is the only batsman to score 100 international centuries -- 51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs.
On April 2, 2011, India had won the World Cup at Wankhede Stadium.
