What’s in a name? A lot when the person in question is none other than batting great Sachin Tendulkar who will play his 199th Test match at the Eden Gardens here Wednesday.
After reportedly annoying Sachin Tendulkar with its over-enthusiastic preparations for his 199th Test, the Cricket Association of Bengal today invited criticism from Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the customary pre-match press conference ahead of the opening Test against the West Indies.When India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni pointed out an error in Sachin’s spelling on a banner above the scoreboard during the team’s practice session Tuesday, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) officials swung in to action to erase a major cause of embarrassment – an unwelcome ‘e’ at the end of Sachin.”Pehle ye batao Sachin ki naam ki spelling galat kisne likhi? (First answer this: who wrote Sachin’s spelling wrong?),” Dhoni remarked while entering the ground.The billboard with the portrait of Tendulkar by Jogen Chowdhury mentioned “Celebrating Sachine Tendulkar 199th Test match”, bringing more embarrassment to the CAB.CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey said: “It is not the skipper’s job to see to this. The error is the responsibility of the agency that was handling the banners. We have issued a showcause notice to the agency. And the banner will be changed.”Yesterday Tendulkar, who is deeply focussed on cricket, appeared unhappy with CAB’s bursting of confetti when he entered the stadium and other arrangements.The CAB installed of a wax statue, while 80 school children wearing T-shirts with Tendulkar’s image and 199 written on the back lined up till the dressing room to greet the maestro while he disembarked the team bus.With all eyes on the Test, CAB will have a tough time steering clear of controversies that could tarnish its image.The two-Test series against the West Indies will bring down the curtains on Tendulkar’s illustrious 24-year-long career. The cricketer will be playing his 199th Test here while his 200th and last match at Wankhede Stadium in MumbaiAgencies