New cricket stadium: Sachin Tendulkar arrives in Varanasi, offers prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple
Sep 23, 2023
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 23 : Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar arrived in Varanasi on Saturday, ahead of the laying of the foundation stone for the country's newest international cricket stadium.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the stadium in the temple town, which also happens to be his Lok Sabha constituency.
According to sources, the Uttar Pradesh government spent Rs 121 crores for acquiring land for the brand new cricket amphitheatre in Varanasi.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the country's premier cricket administrative body, will pump in a further Rs 330 crores for the construction of the stadium.
The new stadium borrows heavily from accessories associated with Lord Shiva, with the floodlights trident-shaped like 'Trishul', seats bearing resemblance to ghats in the temple town and the roof covers crescent-shaped. The new international stadium will have a seating capacity of 30,000.
Tendulkar, on Saturday, took to his official X account to share a picture along with the original 'Little Master' Sunil Gavaskar and former India international and head coach Ravi Shastri while travelling to Varanasi to attend the laying of the foundation stone.
“Grew up admiring one and had the opportunity of sharing the field with the other two. They laid the foundation with the 1983 victory, and I experienced the joy in 2011! Here's to hoping the current squad brings it home in 2023,” Tendulkar posted on X.
https://x.com/sachin_rt/status/1705449027129741628?s=20
Apart from Sachin Tendulkar and other cricket legends, the ceremony was attended by BCCI President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah, according to a statement released by the BCCI.
Many other former India internationals are also expected to attend the laying ceremony.
Before attending the ceremony, Tendulkar, Gavaskar and former India skipper Kapil Dev visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple and offered prayers. Jay Shah and Rajeev Shukla were also at the shrine.
The new stadium in Varanasi will be Uttar Pradesh's third after the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur and Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Lucknow will host five matches in the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup, including the one featuring hosts India againstNeew England on October 29.
