Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh):A host of cricket legends reached Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Among the cricket stars included cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar and others. Former India batter G Vishwanath, who represented Karnataka, was also present for the ceremony. Kapil Dev had led the Indian team to their maiden ODI World Cup triumph in 1983.
After arriving in Varanasi, Tendulkar, who has numerous world records to his name visited the famed Kashi Vishwanath Temple and offered his prayers. Also, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, President Roger Binny and Vice President Rajiv Shukla also graced the occasion.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, former India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri posted a photograph with three former India and Mumbai players saying it is a 'picture of a lifetime'. "Varanasi bound. Great to be amongst Greats and colleagues for Mumbai and India. Just a few international runs and wickets there. Pic of a lifetime. Gr8 memories. @sachin_rt @BCCI," wrote Shastri, a famed commentator.
Several other former cricketers, including Shubhangi Kulkarni, and Neetu David, also attended the event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the international stadium, which is being built with the help of BCCI, this afternoon. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed the event a "golden chapter in Kashi".