The Eden Gardens bowed to iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar as he played his last Test at this venue on Friday.
With the conclusion of the first Test between India and the West Indies on the third day, which was also the legendary batsman’s 199th, the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, felicitated the ‘Little Master’ for his contribution to cricket. She presented Tendulkar with a painting of her own, depicting a tree, as the 40,000 spectators gave Tendulkar a standing ovation.
Also, Sourav Ganguly placed a turban presented by the Chief Minister on Tendulkar’s head.
A Durga idol was presented by Kolkata Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purkayastha, while Jagmohan Dalmiya, on behalf of CAB, presented Tendulkar a silver figurine of a banyan tree with 199 golden leaves. A 10 gram gold coin, specially made for the toss of this Test, was also presented to Tendulkar. At the stroke of tea, former India captain Sourav Ganguly and Tendulkar released a bunch of 199 balloons. The day also saw spectators wearing ‘Sachin’ masks provided by CAB.