Cricketing lore has it that Ramakant Achrekar had insisted his protege Sachin Tendulkarshift from Bandra to Shivaji Park, for cricket's sake. And on Friday, the field where the legendary coach groomed the prodigy was the scene of fervent prayers as budding cricketers from Young Maharashtra Club, Kamath Memorial Club, Bengal Club and Bharat Cricket Club invoked the heavens for the master blaster to score his 100th century on Saturday.
The young boys nurture dreams of making it to the big league one day like their idol. The mood is sombre as they practice in the sweltering heat. "This ground is our teacher, just like it was for Sachin. We hope he ends his career with his 100th century," said Sourav Parui (15) from Bengal Club.
Not wanting to miss the World Cup final, they have advanced their practice session timings on Saturday. "We won't practice in the afternoon. We want to minutely observe the technicalities of the game," said Sagar Ayare (18),Bengal Club.
Shivaji Park, known as the nursery of Mumbai cricket, has also produced legends like Vijay Manjrekar and Sunil Gavaskar, besides Tendulkar.
"Sachin is our role model because he always plays for the team and not for himself. This ground has many clubs playing and it teaches team spirit. I'm a spinner and this ground has taught me to keep my rhythm," said Sridhar K, BMC Cricket club.
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