All eyes on Sachin, as India takes on WI

Kolkata: Cricket has been left overshadowed by the farewell carnival surrounding the iconic Sachin Tendulkar against the West Indies in his swansong two-Test series starting on Wednesday.
Given the hype and hoopla surrounding the series, it would take a herculean effort from the West Indies to avoid being just bridesmaids.
Tendulkar’s imposing presence will dominate the series and why not? In a controversy-free career spanning 24 years, Tendulkar has been the most worshipped and followed cricketer who has against his name, almost all the batting records including most runs and hundreds in international cricket.
Treated like ‘God’ by his fans, it will be one nostalgic moment for sports-mad Kolkata when Tendulkar comes on to bat in his penultimate Test on the hallowed Eden Gardens.
The majestic ground has been witness to many of Tendulkar’s ups and downs since his Eden odyssey began in an ODI against Sri Lanka on January 4, 1991.

His miserly three-run last over that had denied South Africa the winning six runs in the Hero Cup semifinal on November 24, 1993 is part of cricketing folklore.