st match get the Indian fans excited any more, but there were chaotic scenes here on Monday after fans protested outside the Wankhede Stadium, the venue for Sachin Tendulkar’s final Test, after finding out that they would be unable to purchase tickets for the match.
The Mumbai Cricket Association had decided to sell only 5,000 tickets for the match, all online, which the eager fans were not aware of.
Fans started shouting slogans against the administrators when they were told that tickets would only be sold online.
However, police force present at the stadium soon disbursed the crowd.
Spectators wishing to watch Tendulkar in his farewell Test were left high and dry as the website meant for booking tickets crashed soon after it opened on Monday.
KyaZoonga.com, the official ticketing partner for the second India versus West Indies Test from November 14-18, was swamped with huge number of surfers who wanted to buy tickets for the much-awaited match.
Meanwhile, in a more congenial atmosphere, continuing with the felicitations lined up for the retiring Tendulkar, the MCA honoured the iconic Indian batsman ahead of his 200th and final Test by naming its Kandivili Ground after him in the presence of a host political bigwigs.
The 40-year-old veteran, who would be retiring after the second and final Test against the West Indies here from Thursday, was given a fresh round of applause by the MCA ahead of what is turning out to be an epic curtain call.
“I appreciate not just this evening but the last 24 years,” said a beaming Tendulkar when he took the stage amid loud cheering an applause by the attendees, including his team mates and the visiting West Indian team.
“It felt special to read my name on the entry of the (MCA) club. It feels good as I am not used to it. I didn’t expect this. It was a humble experience. I thank MCA for this kind gesture,” he said, referring to the renamed Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana Club.
Tendulkar used the occasion to express his gratitude towards MCA for making its facilities available to him whenever he asked for it.
“I want to thank the MCA for making the nets available for me at any time I wanted. I just needed to make a phone call to get it,” he said.
The Mumbaikar did not dwell much on his cricketing career which has spanned an incredible 24 years.
“I had the right pitches, the right wickets to prepare myself. To play for India has been truly memorable, I think every step was different and every tour required different preparations,” he said. (PTI)