'Constructed statue of straight lofted shot, what more can I say': Rohit's reacts to Sachin's statue

India will take on Sri Lanka in their next ODI World Cup 2023 match on Thursday in Mumbai, with the goal of winning seven straight. The legendary Wankhede Stadium, the home stadium of India's captain Rohit Sharma, will host the match. In particular, a significant event took place the night before the game to unveil the statue of India's cricket icon, Sachin Tendulkar, at the Wankhede. Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, had the privilege of launching the monument to the renowned batter at his cherished home field.  

3 things you need to know

• Sachin Tendulkar’s life-size statue has been unveiled at the Wankhede Stadium
• Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar hail from Mumbai
• India vs Sri Lanka will be played today

Rohit Sharma has yet to watch Sachin Tendulkar’s statue

When asked about Sachin's monument at the pre-match press conference, captain Rohit Sharma made a clever comment that made the entire media giggle. During the pre-match press conference, he said:

"Practice pe jab pahuche toh humne dekhna statue par itne closely dekhne nahi mila kyun ki hum practice kar rhe the aur press conference itna delay karwa diya humare media manager ne (laughs). Toh itna pass se dekhne ko nahi mila. We came back, I finished my batting and I came here now. Par mauka milega acche se dekhne ka. (We did see it when we got to practise, but not up close. The media manager also made us wait longer for practise (laughs). Yes, we will get a better look at it later.)

"Mujhe toh abhi yeh bhi nahi pata ki kaun sa shot hai vo. Ab kya boloon main usme? Straight lofted shot ka statue banaya hai wahan pe. (I mean, they've constructed a statue of a straight lofted shot—what more can I say? It's lovely, I hope you all had fun, and the monument we visited is amazing.)

Who accompanied Sachin Tendulkar during the statue unveiling?

Sachin Tendulkar was present at the special occasion with his wife, Anjali, and daughter, Sara. Among those in attendance were former BCCI and ICC chairman Sharad Pawar, current BCCI secretary Jay Shah, treasurer Ashish Shelar, vice-president Rajiv Shukla, and President of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), Amol Kale.