Sachin's 200 Test: Two years and seven months ago the occasion was the World Cup final and the venue was Wankhede stadium, which erupted in ecstasy as India lifted the Cup for Sachin Tendulkar.
Now the same venue will be the scene for another milestone in Indian cricket, hosting batting great Sachin Tendulkar's 200th and swansong Test match against the West Indies beginning today. .
Perhaps, never in the history of the game has any cricketer's swansong series or farewell match generated such frenzy so much that the cricketing rivalry between the Calypso charmers and the subcontinental giants has been reduced to a sideshow.
In his 199th Test at the Eden Gardens, Tendulkar fans had a heartbreak as he managed just 10 runs before getting out to a contentious decision. He didn't get a chance to bat in the second innings as India thrashed the West Indies by an innings and 51 runs.
For the 40-year-old Tendulkar, his home town venue would be most apt to end his fairytale journey of 24 long yeass. It was in this city that he played most of his formative years' cricket, rose to stardom, reinvented himself after being dubbed 'Endulkar' and finally realised his childhood dream of winning the World Cup in 2011.
Seeing India lifting the 2011 World Cup on a mild summer day on April 2, Tendulkar couldn't control his emotions and tears rolled down his cheeks as he took the victory lap with his two kids, Sara and Arjun, in tow along with his teammates.
Similar scenes could be seen when he finally goes round the stadium in a thanksgiving, but before that Tendulkar would like to bow out in style, on a high, something he couldn't when he announced his retirement last year in December from the ODIs.
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