India captain Rohit Sharma on Sunday said that magnitude of T20 World Cup victory dawned on him only after witnessing a sea of blue ready to welcome him and his band of men at the Wankhede Stadium last July. At the twilight of his international career, the Indian captain wouldn’t mind getting immersed in a deluge of fans one last time if he can regain the Champions Trophy that he won in 2013. On Sunday, as Mumbai Cricket Association’s grand celebrations concluded for the completion of Wankhede Stadium’s 50 years, Rohit said sharing the joy of another such victory with the crowd here would be his wish.
“When I woke up the next day after the celebration here that’s when we realised,” Rohit said when asked at what point he truly realised India had won the World Cup.
“Because looking at what happened the previous day, when we did the parade with so many people on the roads watching the team, the next day I realised what we did was very, very special.” “Winning the World Cup and celebrating it with your people is a different thing; you celebrate anyway with your players and teams but celebrating it with your people is a different feeling and I knew that will happen only once we are back in Mumbai,” he said.
Rohit said the Indian team will soon be embarking on the Champions Trophy campaign and will try to bring another trophy to the iconic stadium here.
“We will embark on another tournament. I am sure when we reach Dubai (the wishes) of 140 crore people will be behind us, we know that. We will try and do everything we can to bring this trophy (ICC Champions Trophy) back here at the Wankhede,” he said.
The Indian captain said he always wanted to bring another World Cup trophy to Wankhede after witnessing similar celebrations of 2007 T20 World Cup win here.
“When we returned from South Africa after winning the (T20) World Cup, I dreamt about winning another World Cup and bringing it here,” he said.
“I remember, we were still in Barbados after winning the (T20) World Cup and we were stuck there due to a storm but planning was in process as to what we would do once we are back in India. It was planned that we would go to (New) Delhi (to meet the PM) but what after that?” “No one knew what to do after that but I wanted that World Cup (trophy) should come here at Wankhede. Each of the recent World Cups which we have won in 2007 and 2011 have been celebrated at Wankhede and bringing (the trophy) of 2024 was also very important for us,” he said.
Legendary Sunil Gavaskar said he still gets the feeling of “coming to home ground” when he visits the 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,” he said.
“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,” he added.
Sachin Tendulkar said he experienced the same emotions of playing his last Test here back in 2013 against West Indies.
“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,” he said.
“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. Today, when I stepped into the Wankhede, I am experiencing the same emotions,” he said.
Tendulkar remarked India, despite having reached the ODI World Cup final in 2003, crossed the hurdle only in 2011 here at this venue.
“It was without any doubt the best moment of my life,” he said while talking about a picture from World Cup winning night when Tendulkar was hoisted on their shoulders by his teammates.
“Their (referring to Gavaskar) 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 hurdle at the Wankhede Stadium at my home ground. Till that point, no host nation had won the World Cup,” he added.
Ravi Shastri recalled hitting his six sixes off Baroda bowler Tilak Raj by describing it as if he was commentating, while the ceremony also featured a glittering laser show and musical performances.
A coffee table book and a postal stamp were also released.
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