Sachin Tendulkar to inaugurate Mumbai ODI between India and Windies

Former India cricketer and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has been invited to inaugurate the fourth ODI between India and the Windies which will be held in Mumbai. The Cricket Club of India based at the Brabourne Stadium that will be hosting the match made the announcement on Wednesday. Tendulkar will hence ring the bell at the long-established venue to get proceedings underway.

The day-night match slotted for October 29 was originally allotted to the Wankhede Stadium, which is managed by the Mumbai Cricket Association. However, the fixture was later shifted to the Brabourne Stadium as the MCA said it was facing financial constraints and would, therefore, be unable to host the game.

Speaking ahead of the match, a spokesperson for the CCI said, “Tendulkar has consented to ring the bell to inaugurate the 4th ODI, said CCI. We are striving to make the game a unique experience not only for the cricketers of both the teams but for the cricket crazy Mumbaikars as well.” As per reports, the pitch prepared for the fourth ODI will is expected to result in a high-scoring match.

International cricket at CCI after 9 years

Brabourne Stadium will see the return of international cricket after a gap of 9 years. The last time there was an international fixture at the stadium was in 2009, when India took on Sri Lanka in a Test match. However, the last ODI hosted by the stadium was way back in 2006. Typically, the CCI holds practice matches for the international visiting teams.

The tradition of ringing the bell before the start of a match is one that’s commonly seen at the historic Lord’s cricket ground in England. Usually, eminent cricketers are invited to inaugurate the day’s play in a Test match. Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens has also followed suit.

India currently lead the 5-match ODI series 1-0, after they defeated the Windies convincingly at Guwahati. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma smashed fabulous hundreds to easily gun down a target of 322. Interestingly, India posted the exact same total on Wednesday at Vishakhapatnam, the captain leading the charge with an unbeaten 157.

This time around, the Windies weren’t able to win the game, but instead managed a tie in what was a thrilling contest. Virat also entered the elite of club of batsmen with more than 10,000 ODI runs, joining fellow Indians Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni.

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