Sachin Tendulkar reveals why he requested BCCI to play his last Test at Wankhede Stadium

Former Indian national cricket team batsman Sachin Tendulkar revealed how he asked the BCCI to host the last match of his career at his home ground at the Wankhede Stadium. He said he wanted his mother to see him play as he was not well and could only travel to that place.

Sachin Tendulkar ended his career as the greatest batsman the game of cricket has ever seen. The big batsman played his last match in the longest format of the game during the home Test series against the West Indies national cricket team at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Sachin Tendulkar hit a magnificent half-century and ended with a 73-run knock in his final Test

It’s fair to say that their last Test felt more like a festival in Mumbai as the Wankhede Stadium was packed, and all that could be heard were chants of ‘Sachin Sachin’. The game was played from November 14-16, and it was the perfect ending for him.

Sachin Tendulkar hit a magnificent half-century and finished with a knock of 73 runs. Along with him, centuries from Rohit Sharma i Cheteshwar Pujara he helped India win the game by a huge innings margin of 126 runs.

I wanted him to see why I have moved to different places for 24 years – Sachin Tendulkar a

While talking about his last match, Sachin Tendulkar said that he told BCCI to hold his last Test at Wankhede so that his mother could see why he moved to different places for 24 years. Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the Wankhede Stadium, he said:

“Before the series was announced, I contacted the BCCI and made a request. I requested that I want my last match to be played in Mumbai for one reason: I played cricket for so many years, 24 years in India, and almost 30 years in general, but my mother had never seen me play.

“At that time (during the farewell test), my mother’s health was not good. She could not travel anywhere other than Wankhede to watch me play. I wanted her to see why I left 24 years ago move to different places. The BCCI very kindly accepted this request.”

I was a bit emotional, my eyes were crying – Sachin Tendulkar

While talking about playing in the last Test, he mentioned that with the kind of reception he got from the crowd and the West Indies, he was moved. He also talked about how the station played with his emotions by showing images of his mother and other members of his emotional family. He added:

“When I came in to bat on the first day, it was towards the end of the game. When I came out to bat, the West Indies players gave me a lot of respect. The crowd gave me a very good reception. I was a Una bit of excitement My eyes were watering but I had to concentrate but just before the last I saw the big screen in the stadium.

“There was a close-up of my mother. She didn’t realize she was being shown on the big screen. I was thinking if all these shots were necessary because it was the last six balls of the day. The broadcast director had a passport of the West Indies because I thought I was acting for the West Indies, I was playing with my emotions.”

Read also: ‘Only openers are fixed’: Axar Patel exposes chaos in Indian T20I batting order