World cricket's most prolific run-getter Sachin Tendulkar will play his 200th and final Test match at his home ground in Mumbai. He will play the match against West Indies in November 2013, bringing the curtain down on a more than two decades long international career. Tendulkar, who is revered like a god in cricket-crazy India, began his international career against the country’s arch rival Pakistan in 1989 as a 16-year-old. Since then, the man who is rather diminutive in size has gone on to be labelled as arguably the best batsman ever in the history of the game.
Tendulkar has a number of cricket records to his name. The iconic batsman holds the record for playing the maximum number of test matches. He holds the record for scoring most number of test and one-day international runs, besides holding the record for maximum international test centuries.
Sachin Tendulkar will play his 199th test in the India-WI series opener at Kolkata's Eden Gardens from Nov 6-10. The 200th will be played at Wankhede Stadium from Nov 14-18. After the end of this two-match series, the legendary cricketer will retire from all forms of the game.
Both matches are expected to be sell out, with not only regular fans but even VIPs, officials, former players and celebrities hoping to offer a rousing farewell to the man they call the ‘Master Blaster’. The fact that Sachin Tendulkar’s mother will be watching him play an international match for the first time will make the swansong even more special.
The touring Caribbean side will also play three ODIs against India slated for November 21, 24 and 27.