Mumbai: With former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane along with Diana Edulji sharing the magical moments they experienced at the venue, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) celebrated the completion of 50 years of the iconic Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.
Amidst music, dance, laser show and cultural festivities depicting Marathi culture, the legends of Mumbai cricket relived their first visit to the Wankhede and how the stadium became a part of their cricket journey.
While Gavaskar and Vengsarkar were part of the Indian team that played the first international match at the venue that was completed on January 19, 1975.
Tendulkar described India winning the 2011 World Cup at the stadium and being taken on a victory lap by his teammates on their shoulder as the most memorable moment of his life. “My cricket dream would have been incomplete without that triumph,” he said.
Besides that, Tendulkar also remembered his 200th Test and last international match at this venue in 2013. “When the schedule for the series against West Indies was announced, I called up Mr N. Srinivasan and requested whether the second and last match of the series could be played at Wankhede because I want my mother to watch me play my last match. In 30 years she had never watched me play live and at that time her health was not such that she could not travel to any other venue except Wankhede. The BCCI very graciously accepted that request and my mother and entire family could be at the Wankhede on that day,” said Tendulkar.
“Today, when I stepped into the Wankhede, I am experiencing the same emotions,” said the greatest-ever cricketer the game has ever produced.
Tendulkar also remembered his first match at Wankhede as a spectator that he watched the India and West Indies Test as a 10 year old and how he dreamt of one day playing at the venue.
He described India’s 2011 World Cup triumph as the best moment of his life and said he will always remember being carried by his teammates around the stadium on their shoulder.
“It was without any doubt the best moment of my life. (Referring to Gavaskar), their 1983 victory inspired me that even I should have a trophy in my hand. We came close to winning the World Cup in 1996 in India and in South Africa in 2003. However, we crossed the final at the Wankhede Stadium at my home ground. Till that point, no host nation had won the World Cup,” said Tendulkar
Gavaskar, the first man to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, described his “love at first sight” with the Wankhede Stadium.
“When the Wankhede Stadium was built in 1974, our dressing room was downstairs. When we stepped into the ground for the first time for a practice session, it was love at first sight. Prior to that, we were playing at the Brabourne Stadium, which belonged to a club (Cricket Club of India). But coming here, it felt like the home ground of Mumbai cricket. The feeling is always different when you have a home ground. I still get that feeling whenever I come for commentary. My chest swells with pride,” said Gavaskar.
The MCA surprised Gavaskar by celebrating his 75th birthday on the occasion.
Dilip Vengsarkar talked about the entire series with West Indies in 1975 and how they came to Wankhede for the third match which started his love affair with the stadium while Ravi Shastri did a commentary of his own greatest exploit at the Wankhede — becoming the second batsman to hit six sixes in one over after Sir Garfield Sobers. Shastri achived that remarkable feat playing for Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy match against Baroda in 1985 when he hammered left-arm spinner Tilak Raj for six successive sixes in an over, describing the area of the field on which he hit each of his sixes.
On the occasion the Mumbai Cricket Association brought out a coffee table book on the best moments of the iconic stadium. A postage stamp on Wankhede Stadium was also released to mark it’s golden jubilee while the MCA felicitated the family members of SK Wankhede, the former president of the association who got the stadium constructed, and former MCA, BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar for his role in getting the stadium built.
(IANS)
