Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement and farewell match remains one of the most emotional chapters in cricket history. The Master Blaster, fighting back tears, being hoisted on his teammates’ shoulders, stepping onto the pitch one last time to pay tribute, and then silently retreating to the dressing room, marking the end of his journey in India left countless fans overwhelmed with emotion. For nearly 25 years, Tendulkar captivated the cricket-loving nation of India, and in a poignant moment, his legendary career of 24 years came to a close as he bid farewell to the game, riding into the sunset.
Sachin Tendulkar’s Emotional Farewell: A Tribute to His Mother and a Nation
When Tendulkar’s retirement was announced, Indian cricket fans had just one destination – Sachin last two Test matches – 199th and 200th – in Kolkata and Mumbai. After Tendulkar was dismissed for 10 in the only innings India batted at the Eden Gardens, all eyes turned to Wankhede. As it turns out, the Master Blaster had requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India to organises his farewell Test at his home ground. Not for himself, not particularly for fans either, but for his mother, Rajni Tendulkar.
“Before the series was announced, I got in touch with the president of the BCCI, Mr. Sreenivasan, and made one request. I said I wanted my last match to take place in Mumbai for one reason. In all these years – I played 24 years for India and some more before that. So, almost 30 years in total – my mother had never seen me play. And back then, my mother’s health was such that she wasn’t able to travel. She wouldn’t have been able to get to a venue other than Wankhede,” Tendulkar said on Sunday evening as the Mumbai cricketing fraternity celebrated 50 years of Wankhede Stadium.
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