Kolkata: Thousands of fans came to Eden Gardens early Wednesday morning to watch India's cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar play his 199th Test match.
Wearing colours of Indian tricolour, donning headbands, the fans shouted Sachin Sachin, as they trooped into the stands of Eden Gardens.
Several of the fans sported wigs resembling Sachin Tendulkar's curly hairstyle.
Sachin Tendulkar will be playing his 200th and last Test of his career at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium from November 14.
"It is a pilgrimage...first day of the historic test match. Watching the master for one last time. Feeling emotional..," said banker Gourav 'Tendulkar' Chakraborty, who took five days leave to follow the Test match, but with the West Indies wickets falling like nine pins in the first innings, the match seems headed towards a quick finish.
"We are from Assam and we have come all the way on a Sachin pilgrimage," said a group of Assamese fans.
Kolkata police spread out a security net around the Eden Gardens to maintain law and order.
"It is an experience of a lifetime...we are here for Sachin...even if he doesn't score a century we won't mind...we just want to watch him play for the last time," said a fan at the venue.
