Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar Among Attendees As PM Modi Set To Lay Foundation Stone Of Varanasi Cricket Stadium

After Kanpur and Lucknow, the international standard cricket stadium in Varanasi will be third in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

New Delhi: Former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sunil Gavaskar will be in attendance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will lay the foundation stone of an international cricket stadium in Varanasi. The cricketers have already reached Varanasi for the event.

“Varanasi bound. Great to be amongst Greats and colleagues for Mumbai and India. Just a few international runs and wickets there. Pic of a lifetime. Gr8 memories. @sachin_rt @BCCI,” Shastri, former India head coach posted on X with a picture of all four on board.

Tendulkar also posted the same picture on X, with caption reading, “Grew up admiring one and had the opportunity of sharing the field with the other two. They laid the foundation with the 1983 victory, and I experienced the joy in 2011! Here’s to hoping the current squad brings it home in 2023!”

Grew up admiring one and had the opportunity of sharing the field with the other two. 🏏 They laid the foundation with the 1983 victory, and I experienced the joy in 2011! Here’s to hoping the current squad brings it home in 2023! 🏆🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/UAEnRHKd2C

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 23, 2023

The Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has spent Rs 121 crore on acquiring the land for the stadium while the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India will spend Rs 330 crore on its construction.

The ‘essence of Kashi’ will be visible in the design of the stadium which features crescent-shaped roof covers, floodlights shaped like a trident, patterns resembling bel leaves, and one of the structures shaped like a ‘damru’, a musical instrument associated with Lord Shiva.

There will be a spectator gallery resembling the steps of the ghats in Varanasi and the stadium will have a capacity of 30,000 spectators and seven pitches. Situated near the Ring Road in Rajatalab area, it is likely to be ready by December 2025, it said.

Varanasi bound. Great to be amongst Greats and colleagues for Mumbai and India. Just a few international runs and wickets there. Pic of a lifetime. Gr8 memories. @sachin_rt @BCCI 🇮🇳🙏 pic.twitter.com/AowpVZ2l1C

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) September 23, 2023

Key figures of the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah will attend the event. After Kanpur and Lucknow, this will be Uttar Pradesh’s third international cricket stadium.