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Sachin Tendulkar will form part of the McGrath Foundation's pink Test with the 2021 edition looking significantly different due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Sachin Tendulkar will headline the McGrath Foundation's new-look pink Test after the India's most revered cricketer donated the shirt from his 200th and final Test to the auction.

The traditional pink Test will go ahead in significantly different circumstances this year, with COVID-19 limiting the crowd to 10,000.

With all crowd members asked to wear masks and movement limited, volunteers will also be unable to collect donations in person.

Glenn McGrath himself will also be absent for the first time, taking the opportunity to cover the series off TV in India given he would have been unable to shake players' hands as usual.

The drive has therefore moved online for its 13th edition in 2021, with virtual seats at the ground up for sale with proceeds to go to the foundation.

Fans will still be encouraged to wear pink on day three, which as usual doubles as Jane McGrath Day, while stumps and signage will again be that colour.

Organisers have also set a goal of raising $1 million across the Test, which can help fund seven McGrath breast care nurses.

Tendulkar's signed shirt will also be at the forefront of an auction, after he gave up the prized piece of memorabilia from his last Test against the West Indies in Mumbai in 2013 where he also became the first 200-Test player.

"We played against each other on the field, but off the field we are on the same side," Tendulkar told McGrath.

"It's an absolute pleasure to be part of this however I can be."

This year's challenges come after last year's pink Test was also played against the backdrop of a summer of horror bushfires and under a thick cloud of smoke.

However, overseas the initiative continues to catch on, with England hosting an annual red Test at Lord's each year and South Africa holding a pink one-day match annually.