An emotional India captain Rohit Sharma on Friday recalled his journey from standing outside the Wankhede Stadium as a young player to catch a glimpse of Mumbai Ranji Trophy stars to having a stand named after him at the iconic venue, terming it as an “unreal feeling”. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) had recently announced naming a stand after India’s Test and ODI skipper Rohit along with former captain Ajit Wadekar and former BCCI president and ICC chairman Sharad Pawar. “No one dreams of things like this when they are just starting off playing cricket,” said Rohit after being announced as the brand ambassador of the third edition of the T20 Mumbai League.

Then he took a trip back in time, remembering being a starry-eyed budding player jostling to watch the stars of yesteryears.

“I still remember those days when I used to stand outside (the) Wankhede Stadium just to enter and watch Mumbai Ranji Trophy team practice; I am talking about 2004 or maybe 2003.

“We used to finish our U-14, U-16 training at Azad Maidan. Me, with a few of my friends, used to travel across the railway track to go and just get a glimpse of some of the Ranji Trophy cricketers,” he added.

Rohit continued, “I know how tough it was to get inside the Wankhede Stadium back then. Even now, obviously, no random (people) will be allowed inside the stadium… but those were the days.” The Level 3 of the Divecha Pavilion at the Wankhede Stadium will be named after Rohit, who led India to title wins in the T20 World Cup 2024 and in the Champions Trophy 2025.

“Now, to sit back and think that there is going to be a stadium stand in my name, it is such an unreal feeling. It is something that I have never thought of and I will be forever grateful for this big honour in my life,” he said.

“Like I said, when you start playing the game, you don’t know how long you are going to play the game for; let alone all these milestones and achievements that you achieve.

“But to get this kind of honour, having a stand named after you, is something that I cannot imagine. Once I see my name there on the stand, it will be a very emotional moment for me,” he said.

“From not having to enter the stadium and now to having a stand — those two moments — so much has happened between these two moments. So, I am forever grateful,” he added.

Rohit said while players from all parts of the country are professional, Mumbai cricket’s culture, history and legacy makes it different.

“If you look at the Indian team in the 1970s and 80s, there were eight or nine cricketers representing India from Mumbai. It’s just because of pure talent,” he said.

“Every cricketer in India is quite professional. I cannot draw any comparison between Mumbai and outside cricketers but all I can say is that Mumbai cricket has such a rich culture, legacy, and history.

“When you are growing up, to be part of Mumbai cricket, you know that you are into something which is not going to be so easy so you better be at your best, better give everything that you have in you because there is no easy way of getting in there,” he said.

Rohit said “it’s not everyone’s cup of tea” to play for Mumbai citing their dominance in Ranji Trophy, which they had won a record 42 times.

“It is not everyone’s cup of tea to come and represent Mumbai. When I (was) selected for Mumbai (and) I entered the dressing room for the first time, my legs were shaking.

“There were a lot of cricketers like Amol Muzumdar, Wasim Jaffer, Nilesh Kulkarni, Sairaj Bahutule, Ramesh Powar… all these guys were sitting there,” he recalled.

“I was looking around (thinking) where should I sit? Will I get a place or not? All these cricketers we’d grown up watching. Suddenly, if you see yourself with them, you are always feeling very nervous, you don’t know what to do and how to react.” But Rohit said the senior pros made him feel welcomed to the dressing room.

“I remember there were a few guys slightly older to me. They got me in, they made me comfortable. That’s only because (of) the kind of aura these guys had, the achievement that they’ve had of Mumbai cricket.

“Mumbai has won 42 titles. I think the next best is somewhere around 7 or 8, if I’m not wrong. So you can see the difference,” he said. PTI DDV UNG