Kochi: The Sachin Pavilion at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi that was inaugurated with much fanfare by the then India cricket team captain M S Dhoni on November 20, 2013, is lying in a shambles today.
When it was opened, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had gifted a jersey, a signed bat and a ball that he had used.
But today the pavilion is in bad condition and no one has any clue about the memorabilia. Even Board of Control for Cricket in India Joint Secretary Jayesh George has expressed surprise at the state of affairs.
This dedication to Tendulkar was a joint venture between the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) and the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) which owns the stadium.
The 1,000 sq ft area had has numerous pictures of the Indian great, which included one with Don Bradman and another one with Brain Lara. Tendulkar's childhood pictures were also on display in the pavilion.
In a record 463 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Tendulkar has two five-wicket hauls and both came at this ground.
The stadium is the home ground of Indian Super League (ISL) side Kerala Blasters FC.
The KCA has written to the GCDA to allot the Nehru Stadium to conduct international cricket matches in the future.
The Nehru Stadium has not hosted any international cricket match since 2014 when the ISL started. The India-West Indies one-dayer on October 8, 2014, was the last international cricket match to be held in Kochi.