The Mumbai Cricket Association has decided to name a stand at Wankhede Stadium after former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri. The decision was made at the MCA Apex Council meeting on Friday, February 27.
The Level 1 stand below the press box will carry Shastri’s name. The MCA also announced that three gates at the same venue will be named after Dilip Sardesai, Eknath Solkar, and Diana Edulji — three figures who left a significant mark on Indian cricket across different eras.
Why Shastri
Ravi Shastri’s connection to Mumbai cricket runs long. He came through the domestic circuit with Mumbai before going on to represent India in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs. His playing career spanned the 1980s and early 1990s, during which he was a reliable left-arm spinner and a capable lower-order bat.
His second act in Indian cricket came as head coach, a role he held from 2017 to 2021. Those four years produced some of the team’s more significant results away from home. India won a Test series in Australia in 2018-19 — the first time they had done so — and repeated the feat in 2020-21, this time without several first-choice players due to injuries. The side also reached the semi-finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup in England.
The tenure had its difficult moments too. India exited the 2021 T20 World Cup at the league stage in the UAE, which contributed to the end of Shastri’s time as coach. But his overall record with the team, particularly the back-to-back wins in Australia, remained a benchmark.
MCA president Ajinkya Naik framed the honour as a recognition of Shastri’s contribution across all three roles — player, leader, and coach. “Mumbai cricket is built on the foundation laid by our stalwarts,” Naik said. “It is our responsibility to honour those who have brought pride to the city and the nation.”
SUGGESTED READ: 7 Key Players Powering Zimbabwe’s Unbeaten Super 8s Charge at the T20 World Cup
Three Gates, Three Legacies
The gate namings cover a wider stretch of cricket history. Dilip Sardesai, Eknath Solkar, and Diana Edulji each represent something distinct about what Indian cricket has been.
Sardesai’s name is tied directly to one of Indian cricket’s defining moments. In 1971, he scored 642 runs on India’s tour of the West Indies — a series India won for the first time. That tour is still remembered as a turning point, the moment Indian cricket showed it could compete and win abroad. Sardesai was the central figure with the bat.
Solkar’s reputation rested on his fielding. He was considered one of the best catchers in the game during his time, particularly at short leg, a position that demands courage and sharp reflexes in equal measure. His work in the field often went unnoticed in the final scorecard, but it shaped the outcome of matches.
Edulji’s significance is different in kind. She is a pioneer of women’s cricket in India, having captained the national side in 22 international matches. At a time when women’s cricket received very little attention or infrastructure, she was one of the people who kept it going. Her inclusion in the naming honours is also a nod to a part of Indian cricket that has historically been overlooked.
Naik described the gate namings as a way of keeping these legacies visible. “Every fan who walks into the stadium is reminded of the legends who shaped our glorious cricketing heritage,” he said.
SUGGESTED READ: Afghanistan Cricket Board Shortlists Three Candidates for Head Coach Role After Jonathan Trott Exit
A Stadium With History
Wankhede Stadium, built in 1974, has hosted some of India’s most important matches — including the 2011 ODI World Cup final, which India won on home soil. Naming stands and gates after players is one of the ways the ground ties its physical space to the people who made Indian cricket what it is.
For Shastri, the honour comes from a city where his career began. For Sardesai, Solkar, and Edulji, it is a more permanent marker on a ground that has already etched itself into cricket’s record.
For more T20 World Cup predictions, updates, and records, visit Jeetwin Blog!
The post Ravi Shastri to Have Stand Named in His Honour at Wankhede Stadium appeared first on JeetWin Blog.
