Indians indeed excel in the art of hero-worshipping their celebrities. As cricket star
Sachin Tendulkar plays his last test match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, it's not just the likes of Adidas which are capitalising on the event by launching limited edition Adidas-ST cricket bats or EBAY India which has launched limited edition Sachin Tendulkar silver coins.
Even smaller retailers, restaurants chains and e-commerce sites have latched on to the Sachin retirement mania.
Restaurant chain, Rajdhani, known for its traditional Indian thali meals will price its thali (priced between Rs 300 - Rs 400) at Rs 200 across all 35 restaurants on November 18, the last day of the India-West Indies test match. It will also be the
last day of Tendulkar's cricketing career. Similarly, donut chain Mad Over Donuts will be offering a box of six donuts at Rs 200 (priced at Rs 275).
Online travel portal, Musafir.com, has partnered with TABcabs to offer free rides to fans up to the Wankhede Stadium on all five days of the match.
Will these activities result in incremental revenues?
Not really, according to Aji Nair, Vice-President, Hospitality Division, Mirah Hospitality (which own Rajdhani). "On the contrary, this may eat into my profits. We are doing this as a gesture of respect to the legend. By doing so it could also help in building our image of being up-to-date with all kinds of events in the country," he said.
"We look at it more as a consumer engagement exercise as well as an opportunity to pay our tribute to Sachin. I don't expect incremental revenues," adds Tarak Bhattacharya, COO, Mad Over Donuts.
Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar acknowledges the affection and support of the spectators as he walks off the field after his dismissal on Day 2 of the final Test match against West Indies at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15. PHOTO: PTI 
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