Silver banyan tree for Sachin at Eden

Kolkata, Nov 1 (IANS) Sachin Tendulkar would be presented a silver banyan tree by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) at the Eden Gardens during his 199th and final Test appearance at the hallowed venue, a top CAB official said here Friday.

An exhibition of the maestro's 100 photos showcasing his mountainous achievements would be organised as part of the lavish celebrations to give a befitting adieu to the cricket legend, CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey told IANS.

The plans were finalised during the day.

"The exhibition will be one of a kind with 100 different photos marking Sachin's various landmarks and his life. On the match day, he would also be given a gold coin and a foot-long silver Banyan tree," Dey said.

The gold coin, with Tendulkar's image embossed in it, will be used for the toss.

The series of programmes, including bringing out a tableau adorned with the maestro's photos, hoardings displaying praises showered on him by cricketing legends as well as spraying 199 kg of rose petals from the skies, would mark the event.

A host of former cricketing legends like Shane Warne, Vivian Richards and Brian Lara, among others, have been invited to grace the occasion.

Each day of the Test match beginning Nov 6 will see different forms of celebrations to make the master's swansong appearance at the hallowed stadium an "affair to remember".

On the first two days, the spectators would greet Tendulkar wearing his masks and holding placards. On Day three, 199 bunches of night lanterns having Tendulkar's photos and slogans will be released from the stadium.

Tendulkar, who has already retired from One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals, will hang up his bat from all forms of the game after the next match (Nov 14-18) – the 200th of his glittering career – of the two-Test series against the West Indies, to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Apart from that, the match tickets on each day will have a different painting of the maestro done by a renowned artist. A booklet containing write-ups on the master by players across generations will also be released.