DY Patil boss hopes Sachin shines in tomorrow's ODI

A top Tendulkar innings could be just that For D Y Patil stadium boss

Au00a0top Tendulkar innings could be just that For D Y Patil stadium boss

The magnificent Dr DY Patil Stadium is decked up in all its splendour for its debut one-day international. India and Australia will clash in the seventh and final match of the series tomorrow.

Dr Vijay Patil, presidentu00a0 of Dr DY Patil Sports Academy

That the series has already been decided hasn't dampened the spirits of the organisers. A house full declaration came well before the teams landed here.

Big question
However, the million-dollar question is whether Sachin Tendulkar will be part of DY's debut to make it an occasion to remember.

International cricket's most precious commodity probably deserves a break before the Test series against Sri Lanka, but the champion batsman might find it difficult to turn down the request of Dr Vijay Patil, president of Dr DY Patil Sports Academy and his former teammate Abey Kuruvilla.

"Everyone comes to a game hoping to get to see a top Tendulkar innings. The exhilaration it provides is unique and there's no better feeling than to see that on your own ground," Dr Patil told MiD DAY yesterday.

"It is my wish to see Tendulkar bat at the DY Patil Stadium. I will do everything I can (to have him play the game).

"It will be a true inauguration of this facility. I am sure once he sees the amount of love the people here have for him, he will be happy to play. We are waiting for the moment when he will take guard and face the first ball," added Patil.

As for the game, Dr Patil said he could not have dreamt of anything better than an India-Australia contest for the first international game at his stadium.

"They are two of the best sides in the world, ranked one and two. And, if you look at the quality of cricket that has been dished out, it is the biggest rivalry in cricket.

"Look at the track record of the matches that have taken place over the years... you can go as far back as the 1986 Tied Test involving the Allan Border-led Australia.

"Since then, we have had such close series and some monumental performances; performances which stay in your mind Sachin's innings at Sharjah in ODIs in 1998, Super knocks by VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid in Kolkata (2001 Test), Harbhajan's hat-trick, the Perth Test of the last series Down Under, the last CB one-day tri-series finals.

"If you want to be anywhere in the city you should be at the DY Patil Stadium, it is going to be a truly amazing spectacle," said Patil.