India skipper Rohit Sharma recalls his journey after getting Wankhede honour

Team India Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma went down his memory lane after Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) honoured him with a stand named after him at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.

The Mumbai Cricket Association has decided to have three stands named after Rohit Sharma, former India captain Ajit Wadekar, and ex-BCCI president Sharad Pawar. After the MCA general body meeting presided by president Ajinkya Naik, the association decided that Level 3 stand of the Divecha Pavilion at Mumbai’s iconic cricket stadium will be named after Rohit Sharma.

Rohit Sharma has been a stalwart of Mumbai Cricket ever since he broke into the domestic circuit with his performance at age group levels and went on to become one of India’s most successful captains and batters across all formats of the game.

Speaking at the unveiling of third edition of Mumbai T20 League, Rohit Sharma stated that it is ‘unreal’ feeling to have a stand named after him at Wankhede, while expressing his gratitude to MCA for the honour.

"Now to sit back and think that there is going to be a stadium stand in my game, it is such an unreal feeling.” India skipper said.

“It is something that I have never thought of and I will be forever grateful for this big honour in my life," he added.

Rohit Sharma reflected on the certainty in sports career, highlighting that players begin with a passion and not expectations and milestones, while channeling his inner emotions once he gets to see his name on one of the stands at the Wankhede Stadium.

"When you start playing the game, you don't know how long you are going to play the game for; let alone all these milestones and achievements that you achieve while playing the game." Mumbai Cricket stalwart said.

“But to get this kind of honour, having a stand named after you, is something that I cannot imagine. But once I see my name there on the stand, it will be a very emotional moment for me and like I said, from not having to enter the stadium and now to have a stand, those two moments, so much has happened between these two moments so I am forever grateful," he added.

Going down the memory lane, Rohit Sharma recalled entering the iconic stadium to watch Mumbai Ranji Trophy players practice after finishing his training at the Azad Maidan over 2 decades ago.

"No one dreams of things like this when they are just starting off playing cricket. I still remember those days when I used to stand outside (the) Wankhede Stadium just to enter and watch Mumbai Ranji Trophy team practice; I am talking about 2004 or maybe 2003.” India skipper added.

"We used to finish our U-14, U-16 training at Azad Maidan. Me, with a few of my friends, we used to travel across the railway track to go and just get a glimpse of some of the Ranji Trophy cricketers. I know how tough it was to get inside the Wankhede Stadium back then. Even now, obviously, no random (people) will be allowed inside the stadium. But those were the days. I am just trying to remember now.” he recalled.

Rohit Sharma felt honoured to have gotten the opportunity to play his first match at the Wankhede Stadium in 2007, which was Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture between Mumbai and Borado.. He also spoke about India’s 2011 World Cup triumph at the iconic stadium.

“I played my first game at Wankhede. It was such a big honour because we only watched international games being played at Wankhede. And now to go there and experience the stadium, watch some of these greats taking the field and playing there was another different experience for me. Since then, there have been so many memories playing at the stadium.” Rohit added.

"I think in 2008 or 2009 the stadium got revamped. We won the World Cup there, the final. I was not part of it but I watched it from home. It was a special feeling to watch that (game) and since then there have been so many memorable games that have been played." he concluded.