Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma described it as a "surreal" feeling to have a stand at Wankhede Stadium named after him while still playing for his country. He praised his family, his IPL team, the Mumbai Indians, and members of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for their support, saying he was speechless to see his name among the game's greats.
Following approval at MCA's 86th General Meeting last month, the Divecha Pavilion Level 3 has been renamed the "Rohit Sharma Stand" in remembrance of his illustrious career. He became one of only a few Indian greats to have stands at the famous stadium named after him, along with Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Vijay Merchant.
“Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has come here to make this event so special. What is going to happen today? I never dreamt of it. As a kid growing up, wanting to play for Mumbai, for India, no one thinks about things like these. For me, it’s like any other sportsman who wants to give their best. Serve the nation, the country, as much as possible. While doing that, you try and achieve a lot of things. A lot of milestones are created, but something like this is really special. Wankhede is such an iconic stadium; there are so many memories here," said Rohit while addressing the crowd.
In 2024, Rohit stepped away from T20Is. Following rumors that he would no longer be considered for captaincy in the format, he said on May 7 that he was retiring from the Test format. His remarks regarding ODIs serve as more evidence that he plans to continue playing for India in the format for some time to come.
“For me to have my name amongst the greats of the game and the world’s top political leaders, I cannot express what the feelings are. For that, I am really, really grateful, honored, and very thankful to all MCA members and, not to forget, the Apex Council Member. For me to be honored while I am playing makes it special. I have retired from two formats, but I am still playing one format. It’ll be a surreal feeling when I come here and play on the 21st against the Delhi Capitals, representing the Mumbai Indians. It’ll be a very special feeling," he added.
Rohit made sure to end on a light-hearted note with a message to his MI teammates.
“It will be even more special when India plays whichever team is here; that’ll make it even more special. To get this honor in front of my mom, dad, my brother and his wife, and my wife. I am so, so grateful for all the people in my life, for all that they have sacrificed. Of course, my team Mumbai Indians, are here, who are waiting for my speech to get over so they can start training. The very, very special team, the Mumbai Indians, is also here gracing the occasion. Thank you guys for coming. It’s a very, very special team for me," Rohit said.
(ANI inputs)
