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MUMBAI: There’s just no cocktail as heady as the mix between Sports and Entertainment. Bollywood meets cricket, in a new Entertainment Centre launch.

Sachin Tendulkar, the ‘Little Master’ of Indian Cricket, showed up at Phoenix Mills in Mumbai, to launch a new entertainment centre. Founded by Shripal Morakhia, Smaash is a recreational zone which takes cricket, football, racing and other recreational activities to the next level.

Tendulkar came along with his wife, Anjali, to launch this new and unique initiative.

The cricketing legend was seen interacting with the media, and was joined on stage by Bollywood and cricket host Mandira Bedi. The master blaster kept it casual in a light blue shirt and jeans, while Mandira wore a short red dress, to match her new short coiffed hairdo.

Other celebrities spotted at the event were funny man Jaaved Jafri, last seen in the hilarious Rom-com ‘Salaam Namaste’, with Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta.

The Smaash initiative is a welcome addition in Mumbai, where cricket crazy fans have no place to go to really hone their inner cricketing God. With this new entertainment sports lounge, we hope to see many a youngster take their passion for sport to the next level.

Sachin Tendulkar was also conferred upon the Membership of the Order of Australia, for his service to India-Australia relations by promoting goodwill, friendship and sportsmanship through Cricket.

He was awarded this honour by Simon Crean, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts in Mumbai. Sachin become the second Indian with this honour after former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee.

Speaking at the event, with his wife Anjali Tendulkar firmly at his side, Sachin said that his first trip to Australia in 1991 had shaped him and changed him as a cricketer. Also present at the prestigious event, was Tendulkar’s brother, Ajit Tendulkar.