Mumbai:

Apart from Rohit, some other personalities were honoured with the stands being named after them as well. The Sharad Pawar Stand, Ajit Wadekar Stand and the MCA Office Lounge were also unveiled in memory of former MCA president Amol Kale. Sharad Pawar, a former Union Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief, is also a noted cricket administrator. He has been the president of MCA, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Friday inaugurated the four commemorative sections at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in south Mumbai. The highlight of the event was the inauguration of the stand named after India’s ODI captain and Mumbai Indians legend, Rohit Sharma. The section of the stadium which was named as The Divecha Pavilion Level 3 stand was renamed to pay tribute to Rohit Sharma - the boy from Borivali who rose to become one of the greats of the game. He led Men in Blue to the title in the 2024 T20 World Cup, in the USA and the West Indies. The team also won the Champions Trophy 2025 under his leadership in the UAE. Rohit took lessons of cricket from Dinesh Lad at a school in Mumbai.

The entire Mumbai Indians squad was present on the occasion, supporting their captain on the momentous day. Also present were several past and current cricketers. Apart from Rohit, another cricket legend was also paid homage by the MCA. The Grand Stand Level 4 is now named after late Ajit Wadekar, who captained India during their first Test series wins in the West Indies and England in 1971.

The Grand Stand Level 3 has been renamed to Sharad Pawar Stand, the former MCA president under whose leadership Wankhede hosted the 2011 World Cup final, where Dhoni’s six to finish off the game was the highlight.

Expectedly, Rohit became emotional at the event. He said it will be a "special feeling" for him to play in India jersey in the ODIs at the Wankhede Stadium.

"I had never dreamt of what was going to happen today. You try to achieve a lot of milestones, but something like this is really special, because Wankhede is an iconic stadium and so many memories have been made here," said Rohit, who announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 7.

"To have my name here with the greats of the game and the world’s best political leader, I cannot express the feeling. I am super grateful. I am still playing and retired from two formats. It will be surreal to play when I play on 21st (for Mumbai Indians in IPL) and have a stand here, it will be special when I represent the country here," added Rohit who has also retired from T20 Internationals after leading India to the World Cup trophy last year.

He also thanked his family members for the sacrifices they had made for him throughout his career. "It's going to be even more special, to have my family here, parents, brother, wife. I am grateful and thankful for whatever they have sacrificed for me. My special team MI is also here, waiting for my speech to be over and start training. Special thanks to Pawar Saheb and Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra Chief Minister), makes it very special, it's a very special day."

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