Legendary Indian cricket player Sachin Tendulkar is all set to be honoured with a lifestyle statue at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, during the 2023 ICC World cup later this year.The statue will be the first of its own kind to be installed in the stadium to honour the God of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar. The statue will be unveiled either on the Tendulkars 50th birthday on April 24 this year, or during the ICC World Cup series this year.The installation of the statue will be a milestone in field of Indian cricket. It will be built outside the MCA Lounge on a circular platform.According to reports, Sachin along with his wife Anjali Tendulkar visited the stadium to inspect and finalise a location for the statue. President of Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Amol Kale confirmed that Sachin himself had given consent for the statue, saying, “It will be the first statue in Wankhede Stadium, we will decide where it will be placed. He (Tendulkar) is a Bharat Ratna and everyone knows what he has done for cricket. As he turns 50, it will be a small token of appreciation from the MCA. I spoke to him three weeks ago and his consent was received.”Reacting to the news, Tendulkar said that he was surprised when he was informed about the associations decision to dedicate a statue, where he had started his career. “It was a journey with unbelievable memories. The best moment of my cricketing career came here when we won the World Cup in 2011,” Tendulkar said.Sachin Tendulkar is widely known as one of the best cricketers in the world. During his career he scored 34,357 runs among, 200 tests, 463 ODIs and a T20I for India. He also holds the record for most international centuries. He retired from international cricket a decade ago and still admired by his fans throughout the world.Other Life-size statues in IndiaThere arent many life-size sculptures of cricket players inside stadiums in India right now. Several monuments of the former Indian captain Colonel CK Nayudu have been erected in the Holkar Stadium in Indore, the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium in Nagpur, and the VDCA stadium in Andhra.In contrast, Wankhede Stadium has a number of stands with former cricketers names. Among these are a stand with Tendulkars name on it, a corporate box with Sunil Gavaskars name on it, and another stand with Dilip Vengsarkars name.Other cricketers statuesWax statues of various players have stands in their respective state associations named after them. There are also many former cricketers which are represented in Madame Tussauds in London.The late Shane Warne is memorialised in one of the most well-known cricket player sculptures at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Its strange to see yourself up there, but Im quite proud of myself. That monument weighs 300 pounds. Warne exclaimed, “Its fairly lifelike for when I played!” upon its 2011 debut.Sachin Tendulkar was honoured by Arjuna Award for his achievements in cricket in 1994 and Bharat Ratan, Indias highest civilian award in 2014. Apart from this he has received several others also during his career. Here is the list of awards received by him:1997: Tendulkar was one of the five cricketers selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year1997/98: Indias highest sporting honour – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna1999: Padma Shri – Indias fourth highest civilian award2001: Maharashtra Bhushan Award – Maharashtras highest civilian award2008: Padma Vibhushan – Indias second-highest civilian award2010: ICC Cricketer of the year – Highest award in the ICC listings2010: LG Peoples Choice Award2009, 2010, 2011: ICC World Test XI2004, 2007, 2010: ICC World ODI XI1998, 2010: Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World2019: Most Effective Swachhata Ambassador award at Safaigiri2020: Laureus World Sports Awards – Sporting Moment of the Year
