Sweet send-off planned for Sachin Tendulkar in Kolkata

Kolkata - When the Eden Gardens here hosts batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar for the last time next week, there is a sweet surprise in store for him from the land of sandesh and rosogollas.

The landmark, 128-year-old sweet shop Balaram Mullick and Radharaman Mullick in south Kolkata is gearing up to give a sugary send-off to the cricketing genius with a five-pound (or roughly 2.3 kg) sandesh-cake that depicts Tendulkar holding a bat.

“We are trying to send it to the Eden Garden during the match. It has a picture of Sachin holding a bat. The cake is also available to our regular customers during this month,” proprietor Sudip Mullick told IANS.

The cake is sculpted from sandesh – the traditional milk-based soft-textured sweet – and brings home the Bengali flavour.

Tendulkar announced early this month that the two-Test series against the West Indies will bring the curtain down on his illustrious 24-year-long career.

The cricketing legend will be playing his 199th Test at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata Nov 6-10 and the farewell match at the Wankhede in Mumbai Nov 14-18.