Sachin Tendulkar lays foundation stone for Varanasi stadium with PM Modi

Legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar was in attendance in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (UP). He participated in the foundation stone event of a new international stadium in the city. In a clip that has been doing the rounds all over socials, Tendulkar was spotted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They kicked off the event of laying the foundation stone.

In the clip, Tendulkar was captured giving an Indian jersey to PM Modi as they posed for pictures. Apart from Tendulkar and the Prime Minister, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was present on the stage as well.

It is worth noting that, apart from Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Sunil Gavaskar were also in attendance at the event. Furthermore, it has been reported that the UP government has spent Rs 121 crore in order to acquire the land for the stadium. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) will be spending a sum of INR 330 crore for the construction of the stadium, as per several reports.

Varanasi International Cricket Stadium is based on the ‘Lord Shiva’ theme

The stadium will also reflect the roots of Varanasi, taking inspiration from Lord Shiva. The roof covers will be crescent-shaped trident-shaped floodlights, ghat steps-based seating, and Belpatra-shaped metallic sheets on the facade. Furthermore, up to 30,000 spectators will be able to sit in the stadium and enjoy the games.

Apart from the players, the higher-ups of the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah, were also present at the event. After the completion of stadium, it will officially become the third international cricket stadium in Uttar Pradesh. UP also has stadiums in Lucknow and Kanpur cities.