‘Sachin, Sachin’ chants echo at Wankhede stadium during 50th anniversary celebrations as Sachin Tendulkar gets the grandest reception

As Sachin Tendulkar made his way onto the field for the Wankhede Stadium’s 50th anniversary celebrations, the familiar chants of ‘Sachin, Sachin’ filled the air.

New Delhi: As Sachin Tendulkar made his way onto the field for the Wankhede Stadium’s 50th anniversary celebrations, the familiar chants of ‘Sachin, Sachin’ filled the air. With folded hands, the cricket legend acknowledged the crowd’s warm welcome.

Regarded as one of India’s all-time greatest batters and former captain, Tendulkar began his career and played many of his early matches at Wankhede. In the lead-up to the milestone event, the stadium has hosted several celebrations with Tendulkar and other Mumbai cricketing icons.

Mumbai Indians posted a video of the moment along with a montage of his time at the ground. Watch it here:

During the celebration, Sachin expressed his deep affection for Wankhede Stadium and shared the reason behind his desire for his final international match in November 2013 to be held there.

“I want my last match to be played in Mumbai for one very important reason,” he said. “At that time, her health was not good enough for her to travel, except to Wankhede. I wanted her to see for herself why I had been traveling all around the world for years, playing the sport I loved. Thankfully, the BCCI graciously accepted my request.”

The stadium now features a statue of Sachin, which was unveiled in 2023. During the ceremony, he recalled his first visit to the venue in 1983, when West Indies toured India following the World Cup. Sachin had visited with his friends and neighbors.

“We took a train at Bandra, got off at Churchgate and enjoyed the whole game. And by the way, I sat at the North Stand. We all cricketers know what the North Stand can do. When they get behind the team, no opposition can stop India and Mumbai,” he said in 2023.

“I was a part of the North Stand gang. I also made a lot of noise, enjoyed the game. On my way back home to Bandra, somebody said, ‘achcha manage kiya na?’ (We managed it well, no?). There were 25 of us and we only had 24 tickets. I asked what did we manage? They replied: ‘Usko Sachin ko chhupa ke le jana pada’ (We had to hide Sachin to take him inside)’,” Tendulkar recalled.