Sachin Tendulkar to play 200th Test at Wankhede, Eden Gardens to host 199th
Sachin Tendulkar, who has announced his Test retirement, had expressed his desire to play his 200th Test at Wankhede, a venue close to his heart since his younger days. His mother, Rajni, is expected to be present in this milestone game.
Sachin Tendulkar will play his farewell 200th Test at the Wankhede Stadium. The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday said that the second match of the two-Test series against West Indies in November will be played at the cricketer's home ground. The match is scheduled from November 14 to 18.
While there were several venues vying for the privilege to host Tendulkar in his final appearance for Team India, Wankhede was always seen as a frontrunner due to sentimental reasons. The BCCI's Programmes and Fixtures committee, headed by Rajiv Shukla, met on Tuesday to chalk out the detailed schedule of the hastily-arranged series comprising two Tests and three one-dayers.
Shukla said that the committee decided to grant Tendulkar's wish to play his last Test - he officially announced his plans to retire last Thursday - at the venue where he made his debut in first class cricket -- the Wankhede Stadium.
Sachin Tendulkar in numbers
Test matches (198)
He has scored 15,837 runs at an average of 53.86, hitting 51 tons and 67 half centuries. His top score was an unbeaten 248 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in December 2004
One-day internationals (463)
He has scored 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83 and a strike rate of 86.23. He has scored 49 centuries (highest score 200) and 96 fifties
Twenty20 internationals
He only made one international appearance in the shortest form of the game, scoring 12 from 15 balls against South Africa in December 2006
Sachin Tendulkar's full career statistics The BCCI is also planning a grand farewell for Tendulkar.
Tendulkar has also expressed his strong desire to have his mother watch him play in his final Test match. In spite of a 24-year-long career, his mother has never seen her son play an international game in a stadium - another privilege for Wankhede now that she is expected to be present.
The Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the opening clash of the series (November 6-10) and like Wankhede, gets an 'out-of-turn' Test as according to the BCCI's rotational policy, it was actually Bangalore and Ahmedabad's turn to host. (Also read: Teenage Tendulkar's first interview before joining Team India)
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The itinerary of the series between India and the West Indies is as follows:
October 28: The West Indies cricket team arrives in India
October 31 - November 2: Three-day game - West Indies v UPCA at Cuttack
November 6-10: First Test in Kolkata
November 14-18: Second Test in Mumbai
November 21: First ODI in Kochi
November 23: Second ODI in Vishakhapatnam
November 27: Third ODI in Baroda/Kanpur