Wankhede stadium turns 50: Dhoni’s six, Tendulkar’s dressing-room question, Vengsarkar’s tears, and the origin story

The stadium offers unlimited stories, and it each started with a quality implicit summons distribution. Wankhede Stadium couldn’t person happened if the Bombay Cricket Association (BCA) didn’t person their differences with the Brabourne Stadium owned by Cricket Club of India (CCI) which had hosted each planetary matches till then.

A quality implicit summons organisation wounded a erstwhile talker successful Maharashtra assembly Barrister Sheshrao Wankhede. He had asked for other tickets for an planetary lucifer to cater his nine members but the erstwhile Indian batsman Vijay Merchant, who was president of Brabourne Stadium, denied the request. A fewer months later, the Maharashtra authorities wanted to big an accumulation crippled which Brabourne refused. The rejection was the straw that broke the camel’s backmost arsenic Wankhede decided to physique its ain stadium.

Former BCCI associated caput and a seasoned retired head Ratnakar Shetty details the events. “He got onshore sanctioned from the Maharashtra authorities and incidentally Sharad Pawar was the sports curate then. The relation didn’t person money; they relied connected generating wealth done donations. It was past Tata and Garware helped with money. That is wherefore the 2 ends successful Wankhede were named aft Tata and Garware. Below determination was space, truthful to get immoderate money, offices were rented out,” Shetty recalled, who played a cardinal relation successful Wankhede Stadium getting renovated for the 2011 World Cup.

The onshore was a maidaan utilized by assemblage students and which was allotted to Mumbai University. Shetty explains the architect’s nightmare successful gathering the stadium that was bracketed by a railway way connected 1 broadside and a hockey stadium and residential buildings connected the different side. “This Stadium has seen truthful galore iconic moments, not conscionable cricket, but hockey and shot games too,” Shetty adds.

Former skipper of India women’s squad Diana Edulji recalled a time earlier India played its archetypal Test astatine this Stadium against West Indies successful 1975. Former West Indies skipper Clive Llyod had invited Edulji to vessel to him astatine the nets. “When I began to bowl, helium was conscionable pushing the shot present and there. I went and said Clive, delight bat normally. He replied, nary you can’t instrumentality it. I insisted due to the fact that I wanted to amended my game. He said, fine. Next shot helium hammered maine astatine agelong connected for six, I realised however mean I was,” she narrates.

Former Mumbai skipper Milind Rege points retired however the aged dressing country was astatine a acold distance. During its archetypal Ranji Trophy crippled successful 1974, players had to locomotion agelong connected a tiled flooring. “One subordinate walked wearing his spikes and helium fell down, it made MCA alteration the dressing country program then,” says Rege.

For a stadium that began implicit summons crisis, it has besides evolved successful presumption of however it accommodated spectators. CS Naik, enforcement secretary, who has been moving successful Wankhede since inception, recalled however his occupation was to oversee the introduction of fans.

“Today the crushed is overmuch organised. In those days, determination were nary spot numbers connected seats and fans utilized to beryllium astatine the woody spot benches which could accommodate lone 25. I saw however 1 radical entered with dozens of people. One antheral collected the summons and went backmost to bring much radical with the aforesaid tickets! There was nary QR codification strategy then, I ensured each the ‘free’ fans were taken out.”

When India won the 1983 World Cup, the stadium witnessed squad photograph sessions. In 2007, the T20 World Cup squad was felicitated successful the crushed and the celebrated 2011 World Cup triumph of people happened here. When India won the 2024 T20 World Cup nether Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, the squad had a triumph thigh wrong the stadium.

There were moments of sorrow too.

Naik says helium witnessed the full stadium weeping erstwhile Mumbai mislaid to Haryana by 2 runs successful the celebrated 1990-91 Ranji Trophy final. “Dilip Vengsarkar cried, truthful was the crowd. I person ne'er seen men crying but that time the full stadium cried,” Naik recalls the day.

For immoderate the aged stadium was the spot wherever their beloved coaches would regard from the stands. Former Indian batsman Pravin Amre says helium can’t hide the time erstwhile helium played a Test against England successful aboriginal 90’s arsenic helium spotted Ramakant Acherekar successful the stands. His 3 students – Amre, Sachin Tendulkar, Kambli played a Test crippled together.

“The aged stadium ambience was thing different. At 1 extremity the manager Achrekar was seated, determination was North Stand (once celebrated arsenic it was occupied by maidaan pandits) who would outcry retired if you played immoderate atrocious shot. Just supra the dressing room, determination was a container seated by each erstwhile greats, who volition springiness a glimpse oregon you tin perceive their murmurs. No spot successful the satellite has truthful galore greats astatine 1 place,’ Amre says.

Vasant Mohite, a fashionable groundsman, who handled dressing rooms from Tendulkar to Rohit remembers however the young Tendulkar would enquire astir his spot to sit. “Sachin would ever travel and inquire wherever helium needed to beryllium arsenic astir of the seats were occupied successful the dressing room,” helium says. For Mohite, the champion time of his beingness was the six which Mahendra Singh Dhoni deed to spot India triumph the 2011 World Cup final. “Woh six specified sir ke upar se helium gaya (flew implicit my head). It was the champion spot to person successful the stadium,” helium replied.

As Wankhede turns 50, the iconic stadium, inactive remains the mecca for immoderate Mumbai cricketer.