Friday, an emotional captain of India Rohit Sharma recalled his trip to stand outside the Wankhede stadium as a young player to have a glimpse of the stars of the Mumbai Ranji trophy to have a stand that bears his name in the emblematic place, calling him “unreal feeling”. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) had recently announced to appoint a stand after the India test and the skipper Odi Rohit with former captain Ajit Wadekar and the former BCCI president and CPI president Sharad Pawar. “No one dreams of things like that when they are starting to play cricket,” said Rohit after being announced as ambassador of the third edition of the T20 Mumbai League.
Then he made a trip in time, remembering to be a budding player with starred eyes jostling to look at the stars of yesteryear.
“I still remember these days when I was standing outside Wankhede stadium just to enter and watch the practice of the Mumbai Ranji trophy team; I’m talking about 2004 or maybe 2003.
“We used to finish our U-14, U-16 training in Azad Maidan. I, with some of my friends, are used to traveling through the railway to go and have an overview of some of the Ranji Trophy cricket players,” he added.
Rohit continued: “I know how difficult it was to enter the Wankhede stadium at the time. Even now, obviously, none (people) will be allowed inside the stadium … But these are the days. ” Level 3 of the Divecha pavilion at the Wankhede stadium will be appointed after Rohit, which led India to defeat victories at the 2024 World Cup and the Champions 2025 trophy.
“Now, to sit down and think that there will be a stadium stadium in my name, it is such an unreal feeling. It is something that I have never thought of and I will be eternally grateful for this great honor in my life,” he said.
“As I said, when you start playing the game, you don’t know how long you are going to play the game; Not to mention all these milestones and achievements you reach.
“But to get this kind of honor, having a stand named you is something that I can’t imagine. Once I see my name there on the stand, it will be a very emotional moment for me,” he said.
“Not having to enter the stadium and now have a stand – these two moments – so many things have happened between these two moments. So I am eternally grateful,” he added.
Rohit said that if players in all regions of the country are professional, the culture, history and inheritance of Mumbai Cricket makes it different.
“If you look at the Indian team in the 1970s and 80s, there were eight or nine cricket players representing Mumbai India. It’s just because of the pure talent,” he said.
“Each cricket player in India is quite professional. I can not make any comparison between Mumbai and the external cricket players, but all I can say is that the Mumbai cricket has a culture, a legacy and such a rich story.
“When you grow up, to be part of Mumbai’s cricket, you know that you are in something that will not be so easy, so you would better do better, better everything you have in you, because there is no easy way to get there,” he said.
Rohit said “it’s not everyone’s tea cup” to play to Mumbai citing his domination in the Ranji trophy, that they had won a record 42 times.
“It is not everyone’s cup of tea to come and represent Mumbai. When I (summer) selected for Mumbai (and), I entered the locker room for the first time, my legs trembled.
“There were a lot of cricket players like Amol Muzumdar, Wasim Jaffer, Nilesh Kulkarni, Sairaj Bahutule, Ramesh Powar … All these guys were sitting there,” he recalls.
“I looked around (thinking) where should I sit?” Will I have a place or not? All these cricket players that we grew up looking at. Suddenly, if you see yourself with them, you always feel very nervous, you don’t know what to do and how to react. ” But Rohit said that the pros senior had made him feel welcomed in the locker room.
“I remember that there were a few guys slightly older for me. They brought me in, they made me comfortable. It is only because (of) the kind of aura that these guys had, the realization they had of Mumbai’s cricket.
“Mumbai won 42 titles. I think the next best is somewhere about 7 or 8, if I’m not mistaken. So you can see the difference,” he said. PTI DDV UNG
Subjects mentioned in this article
