Mumbai: Nine days after announcing his retirement from Test cricket, Rohit Sharma had a surreal experience at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
A stand at the iconic stadium, where he played as a youngster, then grew and matured into a world-class batter, was named after him following the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) decision to honour one of India’s best batters in white-ball cricket who led the national team in all three formats.
Rohit thus joined an illustrious list of Mumbai cricket greats such as Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Vijay Merchant, who have stands named after them at the Wankhede Stadium.
In a heartwarming gesture, Rohit went up to his parents, Purnima and Gurunath Sharma, and brought them on stage to press the button and inaugurate the ‘Rohit Sharma Stand’ in the presence of wife Ritika, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Sharad Pawar, Mumbai Indians players, former India captains like Ravi Shastri and Dilip Vengsarkar, besides MCA office-bearers.
#WATCH | Mumbai | Rohit Sharma stands unveiled at Wankhede stadium. Indian ODI men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and his family, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar, and others, are also present.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is formally… pic.twitter.com/K39kSfRkCY
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2025
Speaking on the occasion ahead of the official unveiling of the stand, Rohit was emotions personified.
“What is going to happen today, I have never dreamed of. As a kid growing up, I wanted to play for Mumbai, for India. No one thinks of this… For me to have my name amongst the greats of the game… I cannot express it in words… This is also special as I am still playing. I have retired from two formats, but I am still playing one format.”
#WATCH | Mumbai | At the inauguration ceremony of a stand in Wankhede to be named after him, Indian ODI men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma says, “What is going to happen today, I have never dreamed of. As a kid growing up, I wanted to play for Mumbai, for India. No one… pic.twitter.com/BH2VCjmxFi
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2025
The 38-year-old ‘Hitman’, who retired from T20 Internationals last year after lifting the World Cup, will continue to play IPL and ODIs.
He played in 67 Tests, amassing 4301 runs at an average of 40.58, with 10 centuries and 18 half-centuries. He led Team India to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, followed by twin ICC titles — the T20 World Cup in 2024 and Champions Trophy in 2025.
