"Lofted Shot Ka...": Rohit Sharma's Hilarious Response On Sachin Tendulkar's Statue
India eye their seventh consecutive victory when they take on Sri Lanka in their next ODI World Cup 2023 match on Thursday in Mumbai.
India eye their seventh consecutive victory when they take on Sri Lanka in their next ODI World Cup 2023 match on Thursday in Mumbai. The match will be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, which is also the home ground of India skipper Rohit Sharma. Interestingly, on the eve of the match, a statue of India's cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was unveiled at the Wankhede. The batting great's statue was unveiled at his home ground by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at a grand ceremony.
On being asked about Sachin's statue during the pre-match press conference, skipper Rohit gave a hilarious answer which left all the media persons in splits.
"Practice pe jab pahuche toh humne dekhna statue par itne closely dekhne nahi mila kyun ki hum practice kar rhe the aur press conference itna delay karwa diya humare media manager ne (laughs). Toh itna pass se dekhne ko nahi mila. We came back, I finished my batting and I came here now. Par mauka milega acche se dekhne ka. (Yes, we saw it when we came to practice, but couldn't see from close by. Our practice was also delayed by the media manager (laughs). But yeah, we will get to see it closely later.)," said Rohit during the pre-match press conference.
"Mujhe toh abhi yeh bhi nahi pata ki kaun sa shot hai vo. Ab kya boloon main usme? Straight lofted shot ka statue banaya hai wahan pe. (What more can I say, they have made a statue of straight lofted shot. It's nice, I hope you guys enjoyed it, we saw the statue, it's fantastic.)," he added.
Talking about the unveiling ceremony, Tendulkar was accompanied by his wife Anjali and daughter Sara. The dignitaries present on the occasion were former BCCI and ICC chief Sharad Pawar, incumbent BCCI secretary Jay Shah, treasurer Ashish Shelar, vice-president Rajiv Shukla and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Amol Kale among others.
"It is indeed a special moment for me. It was around February when Shelar and Kale called me on the behalf of the MCA, they said we are having this thought of having your statue inside the stadium. I was extremely delighted, to be honest. I did not know how to react," Tendulkar said.
"I am truly humbled when I stand here. I go to the ground, there are thousands of images that come to my head and thoughts, so many incredible memories. It is truly an honour to walk on this turf which has given me everything in life," he added.
(With PTI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
Sri Lanka Cricket Team
Sachin Tendulkar
Rohit Sharma