Rohit Sharma stand: MCA hands first ticket to former Test captain

Rohit Sharma became the first recipient of a ticket to the Rohit Sharma Stand at the

Wankhede

Stadium. Alongside his family, the Mumbaikar attended an emotional ceremony at Wankhede on Friday where a stand was unveiled bearing his name. The

Mumbai Cricket Association

organised the event, which also honoured former India captain Ajit Wadekar and ex-BCCI president Sharad Pawar with stands named after them. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was present at the ceremony.The ticket bearing serial number 162279 was issued for the Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals on 21 May at 7:30pm.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!— toi_gauravG (@toi_gauravG) In an emotional moment, Rohit escorted his parents to the stage to unveil the stand. The 38-year-old watched as his father, mother, and Chief Minister Fadnavis pressed a switch to reveal the Rohit Sharma stand, accompanied by fireworks and confetti.

Rohit's wife Ritika stood beside him during the ceremony, sharing in the proud moment."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," Rohit said during the ceremony."What is going to happen today, I have never dreamed of. As a kid growing up, I wanted to play for Mumbai, for India. 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," he expressed.

Rohit, who has retired from T20Is and Test cricket, shared his desire to play an ODI at the Wankhede Stadium."It will be surreal 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," he added."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," Rohit stated.He acknowledged the special guests present: "Special thanks to Pawar Saheb and Devendra Fadnavis for making it very special, it's a very special day."

The Mumbai Indians captain mentioned his team's presence at the venue: "My special team MI is also here, waiting for my speech to be over and start training."

His teammate Suryakumar Yadav later posted a tribute on Instagram: "Congratulations @rohitsharma45 on achieving incredible things on the cricket ground, from finisher to opener to our captain, you have been an inspiration and our pride, in every role. Very rarely comes a leader who leads from the front, and changes the game for the better. You are that leader who has changed not just the game, but the approach, the attitude, the dressing room atmosphere, the team, and redefined the role of a captain. Like I have said before, good things happen to good people, and you deserve it all and more. Wankhede just got even more iconic."

Chief Minister Fadnavis praised Rohit and made an announcement regarding future development. "Our iconic batter, captain and one of my favourites, and one who mesmerises with his batting is present here," the CM said.He added: "If there is a proposal from MCA for a new stadium, we will allot space for that to accommodate more fans."