Kolkata: Sachin Tendulkar, on his arrival on Sunday in the city, was welcomed by Cricket Association of Bengal joint secretary Subir Ganguly and treasurer Biswarup Dey with 199 roses, amid jostling by hundreds of fans desperately trying to get close to him.
Tendulkar will play his 199th Test against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens here from November 6 to 10 in his farewell series.
The CAB officials also handed him flowers used in the worship of goddess Kali at the famous Dakhineshwar temple and a saree which had been offered to the deity.
“He was moved at the reception when we gave him the blessed saree and the flowers. He told us to keep the flowers properly, so they do not break,” said Ganguly.
A large number of lenspersons and television crew had a harried time as the authorities repeatedly made conflicting announcements regarding the gate through which Tendulkar would be brought out from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
The security personnel threw a protective cordon around Tendulkar and put him in a waiting car outside the domestic terminal.
However, the vehicle could not move for several minutes as it was surrounded by fans, frantically clicking his image on their mobiles.
While 11 members of the team, including skipper M.S. Dhoni arrived in the afternoon, Tendulkar along with Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav touched down later in the evening.
Fresh from trouncing Australia in a seven-match home ODI series, the Dhoni-led team, including Tendulkar, skipped Diwali celebrations and will be hitting the nets on Monday to get into Test match grove.
Meanwhile, with farewell man turning down the Cricket Association of Bengal’s request to attend a felicitation dinner on the eve of India-West Indies’ Test match, the CAB has decided to make it a private affair.
The CAB had initially planned to make lavish arrangements for the dinner by inviting members of the two sides, former players, and eminent personalities for the event.
“When we invited him, Sachin told us he needs to focus on the Test match, and so he would like to skip the dinner. We respect his decision,” said CAB joint secretary Subir Ganguly. (IANS