'Bangladesh has always been special'
Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar unveiled the logo of Dhaka Premier League club, Legends of Rupganj, in a celebratory programme organised at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon yesterday.
Tendulkar, who happens to be a good friend of the club's owner Lutfur Rahman Badal, also unveiled the team's cricket jersey for this year.
“Visiting Bangladesh has always been special for me. Each and every trip has been memorable. Right from the time we played the ICC trophy here in 1998, followed by the time when Bangladesh played their inaugural Test against India in 2001,” Tendulkar said while addressing the audience.
“I remember I got a wonderful reception here when I equalled Sunil Gavaskar's record of 34 Test hundreds; a big moment for me. From there on I scored my 100th 100 in Bangladesh as well,” said the batting maestro while recalling his century in the Asia Cup in 2012.
“All the love and respect that people from Bangladesh have showered upon me have made the memories everlasting,” added the cricketing legend.
The programme, which also witnessed the presence of ICC President AHM Mustafa Kamal, began with a presentation displaying the timeline of Badal's association with Premier League cricket. It included interviews of Badal, Legends of Rupganj captain Shakib Al Hasan and his teammate Tamim Iqbal.
That was followed by a video depicting Tendulkar's career.
“When this film was (being) shown Mr Kamal said that I started my career very early. My response to him was yes. I started my career from no hair to grey hair,” said Tendulkar on a lighter note.
He then congratulated Badal and wished him the very best of luck for his future endeavours.
“Having known Badal and his love for the sport, I think the club is in the right hands,
“Also Tamim (Iqbal) and Shakib (Al Hasan) both play for his club. It's a big boost for the club and the youngsters. You need role models like them to bring glory to the country and make cricket more exciting all across the world,” he said.
After the end of the programme Badal told reporters that apart from running a 'top-notch' club he also aims to open the 'world's best cricket academy' in the near future.
Tendulkar left the country yesterday evening soon after the end of the programme.
Comments