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The patient security guard at the Wankhede in black uniform and peaked cap spent most of the last week answering one question: Where can one get tickets for the big game?
He understands the frenzy. The media has already gone to town, covering every aspect of the farewell the Little Master is set to receive, with most of the sports pages of the general newspapers dedicated to Sachin Tendulkar.
After the king-sized celebrations in Kolkata, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) doesn't want to be left behind and is busy with its own celebrations for the last test starting November 14. The MCA’s plans include a special stamp to commemorate the occasion, a gold coin for the toss and booklets highlighting Tendulkar's time under the sun.
For the fans, getting in to watch a legend for the last time is no easy task. But there are plenty of people trying.
Inside the office of the MCA, on the third floor, right opposite the names of those who captained all the Ranji trophy winners dating back to L P Jai in 1934-35; the telephone lights are blinked without break as people called in to know if the tickets for Tendulkar’s last ever test match were being sold yet. This was a week before they were on offer and despite a number of reports which suggest that there is little chance of bagging one.
There are only around 5,000 tickets which are said to be available to the general public. The remainder of the 25,000-30,000 tickets are to be distributed to various clubs associated with the MCA, sponsors, government officials and police personnel.
The tickets go as high as Rs 10,000, or over 300 times the amount of money that people must have to spend every day to stay above the poverty line - a measure of how much people are willing to pay for it. The website through which they were on offer, crashed on Monday and was out of commission till evening.
But this is unlikely to have dented the other preparations ongoing at the office of the MCA under the eyes of great players from the past, who looked on from the vintage pictures hanging on the walls. Amidst the black and white is a full-length colour photo of the man everybody wants to watch; Tendulkar playing his trademark straight-drive, arguably at his elegant best. The MCA are even said to have put in place a special ramp for the building so that Sachin’s wheel-chair bound mother can see him play his last test, incidentally the first time that she will be watching him play live.
Corporates too aren’t far from the picture, though many are keeping their plans under wraps. Adidas said that they are still finalising plans, Coke, BMW and many others did not respond to requests for comment.
Aviva has a social media campaign as well as plans to advertise in leading dailies across the country as a tribute to the Little Master.
GSK Consumer Healthcare, whose Boost brand is amongst the earliest ones to have signed him on as a brand ambassador, also said that they would be making use of social media as well as host activities for their employees.
Star India, which has bought the media rights to cricketing fixtures from the Board of Control For Cricket In India is planning its own campaign around Sachin. This includes a documentary, special shows tracking his career and premium advertising rates to commemorate his last test match.
Most of India will agree that the luckiest people in the country are probably the employees of the MCA. They get free passes. The security guard knows this. He doesn’t need an internet connection to get into the Wankhede.
