Statue of Tendulkar unveiled at Mumbai stadium 

Sachin Tendulkar said he was “truly humbled” as a statue of the India batting great was unveiled at his home ground — Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium — during the Cricket World Cup.

The statue shows Tendulkar with his bat held high after a lofted drive. It was unveiled in front of the Sachin Tendulkar Stand at the same venue where second-place India faces Sri Lanka in a rematch of the 2011 World Cup final won by India.

“I am truly humbled when I stand here. I go to this ground — thousands of images come to my head and thoughts, so many incredible memories,” said Tendulkar, who also received a replica of the statue.

“It is truly an honor to walk on this turf, which has given me everything in life.”

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde inaugurated the statue. Mumbai, where Tendulkar was born and bred on a steady cricket diet, is Maharashtra’s state capital.

Tendulkar finished his illustrious career at the Wankhede, playing his 200th and final test against West Indies in 2013.

He scored a career total of 15,921 runs and 51 hundreds – both all-time test records.

He also hit 49 hundreds in 463 ODIs for India, finishing with 18,426 runs – also all-time records. He is the only batsman to score 100 centuries in international cricket.

Tendulkar’s career-crowning moment came at the Wankhede where he was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team against Sri Lanka, a victory which Tendulkar called “the proudest moment of my life.”

It was India’s second title after winning in 1983, a moment that inspired Tendulkar to take up cricket seriously.