The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will unveil a life-size statue of legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the Wankhede Stadium premises on Wednesday, a day before the ODI World Cup 2023 match between India and Sri Lanka in Mumbai.

Earlier this year, the MCA president had announced that the association was planning to erect a life-size statue of Tendulkar as a tribute to the legend, who turned 50 in April and finishing touches to the same were being given on Tuesday.

According to a PTI report, the statue depicting the legendary batter in motion of playing a stroke is placed next to the Sachin Tendulkar stand.

The inauguration ceremony of Tendulkar’s statue will be attended by Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, the legendary Tendulkar, BCCI secretary Jay Shah, treasurer Ashish Shelar along with officials from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), president Amol Kale, secretary Ajinkya Naik and other members of the apex council.

The statue has been made by Pramod Kamble, a well-known sculptor from Ahmednagar in the state.

According to Kamble, the Tendulakar statue measures 10 feet in height plus 4 feet – a total of 14 feet tall – in the classic pose he’s known for while hitting a sixer.

Tendulkar, who was conferred a Bharat Ratna in 2014, scored 15,921 runs in 200 Test matches and also has 18,426 ODI runs. His statue, at his homeground Wankhede Stadium, is being installed nearly 10 years after he played his last game for India in Mumbai, against the West Indies in a two-match Test series in November 2013.

Meanwhile, India and Sri Lanka will lock horns at the ongoing ODI World Cup on Thursday at a venue, where they also faced each other in the 2011 final.

The Rohit Sharma led side had hammered the Sri Lankan side by 10 wickets the last time these two sides played each other in the Asia Cup final earlier in September.