Wankhede braces up for huge demand to watch Sachin's last Test

Ever since the announcement of Wankhede Stadium getting the right to host Sachin Tendulkar's farewell Test, his 200th match, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) board line number hasn't stopped ringing.

Fans cheer for Sachin Tendulkar during the third Test against West Indies at Wankhede Stadium in 2011. Pic/AFP

According to a source, nearly 50 calls were received daily at the reception about availability and sale of tickets for the game, even before the announcement was made!

"The demand for tickets is similar to what we saw during the 2011 World Cup final (which India won beating Sri Lanka on April 2)," an MCA source said.

It is learnt, several MCA officials have also started receiving requests for ‘organising' tickets. Tendulkar, who on October 10 decided to retire after his 200th Test, had requested to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to keep his landmark Test against the West Indies on home soil.

The Board yesterday officially granted his wish for the November 14-19 clash. Kolkata's Eden Gardens will play host to his 199th Test.u00a0"Tendulkar had requested that his 200th Test be given to Mumbai, so that his mother could also watch the match.

We thought about it and accepted it. It has been allocated to Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai," Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI's Programmes and Fixtures committee head, told reporters at a five-star hotel in Andheri.

Apart from the two Tests, West Indies is scheduled to play three ODIs. Shukla informed that Kochi and Visakhapatnam were finalised as venues for first the first two one-dayers, but the venue of the third ODI could either be Kanpur or Baroda "subject to technical clearance."

Meanwhile, the impasse on India's tour to South Africa continued. "Talks between the two boards are still going on. The president of Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the chief of the BCCI are still engaged in talking," said Shukla.