Commemorating 50 years of one of India’s iconic cricketing venues, the Wankhede Stadium, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Wednesday honoured the members of its first team to play a Ranji match at this ground in 1974. The class of ‘74, who won the Ranji Trophy that year, were all presented with a substantial award of ₹10 lakh each.
The eight surviving recipients included icons such as Sunil Gavaskar, Farokh Engineer, Karsan Ghavri, Ajit Pai, Padmalkar Shivalkar, Milind Rege, Abdul Ismail, and Rakesh Tandon. During the ceremony, five of these legends, including Ghavri, Pai, Shivalkar (who attended in a wheelchair), Rege, Ismail, were on hand to receive their commendations from the MCA.
“Whenever I entered this venue, I felt at home,” an elated Ghavri told RevSportz as he congratulated MCA for completing 50 years of high-level cricket. “I used to travel every day from Thane to practice here at Wankhede. However, when Mr SK Wankhede heard about my hardship he ordered the then Secretary Kadam to provide me with a room at Garware Club House rent-free, with meals included.”
This remarkable tribute to the Class of ‘74 is part of a week-long programme organised by the MCA to celebrate the milestone for a venue that houses thousands of cherished memories for players and fans alike.
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here
“This is the only association that makes its cricketers feel wanted,” a jovial Milind Rege, who couldn’t stop waxing lyrical about his former teammates, added. “It is much more difficult to select an all-time Mumbai XI than the India XI.”
The 1974 Mumbai side was a true powerhouse, featuring seven Test players – Gavaskar, Sudhir Naik, Engineer (a wicketkeeper), Ghavri, Mankad, Eknath Solkar, and Ajit Pai – alongside formidable domestic talents such as Shivalkar, Rege, Ismail, and Tandon. The team, according to Rege, broke the New South Wales record of winning 11 consecutive victories by winning the biggest domestic cricket honour 15 times in a row.
Additionally, the MCA also took a moment to honour the grassroot workers, the groundsmen of MCA grounds, during a morning ceremony. Around 175 active ground staff members, including curators Ramesh Mamunkar, Nadeem Menon, and Madhukar Botle, were recognised.
The celebration will culminate with a grand evening event on January 19, capped by a laser show. Among those invited, Indian cricket stars from Mumbai like Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav and Diana Edulji are likely to attend. Furthermore, a coffee table book and commemorative postal stamp will be released as well.
The post 50 years of Wankhede Stadium: MCA honours Class of ‘74 along with its groundsmen appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports.
