India vs West Indies: Entire nation should be proud of India’s 1000th ODI milestone, says Sachin Tendulkar

India are all set to become the first team in international cricket to play 1000 ODIs as they gear up for the landmark match which will be played on Sunday, February 6 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Rohit Sharma will lead India against West Indies in the first of a 3-match ODIs during the momentous occasion.

India have played 999 ODIs and won 518 of them while losing 431. Highlighting that it’s a proud moment for the entire nation, Sachin Tendulkar said it’s important to acknowledge the contributions of former and current players and officials of the BCCI while celebrating the landmark of the 1000th ODI.

“India playing the 1000th ODI is a huge milestone. The first ODI was played in 1974, it was only possible because of the past cricketers, current cricketers, the past and current board members,” Tendulkar said, as quoted by 100 MB.

“And not to forget the most important people, our Indian cricket team well-wishers, from the past generations and the ones who are today with us,” he added.

“I want to say it is an achievement for all of us and the entire nation should be proud of this and hope Indian cricket continues to grow from strength to strength. I wish them all the very best for the coming series and especially for the 1000th ODI,” said Tendulkar.

All the three ODIs, including the landmark match, will be played behind closed doors at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The Gujarat Cricket Association confirmed earlier this week that the decision to host the ODIs without fans at the stadium was taken because of Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier in the day, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly also confirmed that there won’t be any elaborate celebrations during the 1000th ODI as he highlighted the bio-bubble protocols in place in Ahmedabad.

“No, nothing as such as everything is being held in the bubble. We have to maintain the COVID-19 protocols so yes elaborate celebrations won’t be possible and in any case matches are being held closed doors,” Ganguly told the PTI.

Notably, as many as 3 players in the squad, including openers Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad along with baiter Shreyas Iyer tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Ahmedabad. However, the rest of the team began training after returning negative result in the RT-PCR test.