Amid ear-splitting chanting of his name and a guard of honour by the West Indian cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar today walked in to bat in his 200th and final Test leading to a phenomenal outpouring of emotions by the fans.
With the Indian bowlers doing a remarkable job to bundle out the visiting West Indies team before the tea session for a paltry 182 and India losing the two openers in quick succession, the Wankhede crowd got the treat it had been waiting for.
The 40-year-old walked in to bat following Murali Vijay’s dismissal, amid a deafening chant of his name by the crowd even as the giant screen flashed the message – ‘don’t even blink’
Tendulkar, who seemed calm in body language despite the frenzy, bowed at the boundary rope and then looked heavenward before entering the ground.
Expectedly, the Caribbean team lined up to give him a guard of honour before he joined Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease.
The batting maestro, who is playing his farewell Test match here, was seen sporting a tri-colour grip on his bat.
His family and close friends were seen at the stadium cheering for him. Tendulkar’s coach Ramakant Achrekar was also present to witness the landmark match of his disciple.
The Mumbai Cricket Association had given the batting legend 500 tickets for this game.