At the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara joined Donald Bradman on Monday in having a set of gates dedicated in their honour. All visiting players must pass through these gates to get to the playing field. The gates were unveiled to commemorate the 50th birthday of Indian great Tendulkar and the 30th anniversary of West Indies star Lara’s 277 at the stadium, the first of his 34 Test hundreds.
The Don Bradman Gates are used by the Australian cricket team to enter the field, whereas the Lara-Tendulkar Gates now will be used by the guests.
Tendulkar played five Tests there, averaging 157, and claimed that it was his favourite venue outside of India. He said ‘From my first tour of Australia in 1991–1992, I had many wonderful recollections of the SCG’.
Great to see these two cricketing legends given this honour at the iconic Sydney ground 👀#50forSachinhttps://t.co/FUrIHIxmKW
— ICC (@ICC) April 24, 2023
A beautiful gesture from the Sydney Cricket Ground.
All visiting players at the venue will now take to the field through the Lara-Tendulkar Gates 🔥 pic.twitter.com/v8Ev9LDoMP
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) April 24, 2023
Lara expressed his “deeply honoured” sentiment.
Lara played four times at the venue, with his 277 being the high point. “The ground holds many special memories for me and my family, and I always enjoy visiting whenever I’m in Australia,” he added.
It was described as a “fitting and timely gesture” by Nick Hockley, the chief executive of Cricket Australia.
For generations to come, he continued, “their accomplishments will no doubt serve as an inspiration to not only visiting international teams, but all players fortunate enough to step foot on the hallowed turf of the Sydney Cricket Ground.”
