MUMBAI: In a major improvement, the Mumbai Cricket Affiliation (MCA), in its 86th Annual Basic Assembly on Tuesday determined to call stands after India’s Check & ODI captain Rohit Sharma, former India captain Ajit Wadekar, and ex-ICC, BCCI and MCA chief Sharad Pawar.
As per a proposal initially put ahead by MCA’s Apex Council member Milind Narvekar and seconded by one other MCA Apex Council member Jitendra Awhad, the Divecha Pavilion Degree 3 stand shall be named after Rohit, who led India to the T20 World Cup title final yr in USA & West Indies and the ICC Champions Trophy in UAE in Feb-March.
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The Grand Stand Degree 4 shall be named because the Ajit Wadekar Stand, after the ex-India captain, who captained India to maiden take a look at collection victories in West Indies and England in 1971.
The Grand Stand Degree 3 shall be named because the Pawar Stand, because the NCP supremo, who’s thought to be the MCA’s ‘mentor,’ is extensively revered for having a extremely profitable tenure because the MCA president from 2001 to 2013, after which from 2013-16, throughout which the affiliation hosted the 2011 World Cup last on the revamped Wankhede Stadium.
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Talking on the event, MCA president Ajinkya Naik mentioned: “At the moment’s choices mirror our deep respect for the pillars of Mumbai cricket and our willpower to construct a good stronger future. These stands and this lounge shall ceaselessly echo the legacy of those that constructed Mumbai’s cricketing spirit — brick by brick, run by run.”
“The MCA stays dedicated to preserving the legacy of stalwarts who’ve made invaluable contributions to the game whereas persevering with its mission of cricketing excellence,” MCA secretary Abhay Hadap mentioned in a press release.

“It is a wonderful piece of stories for our household. It is a long-awaited and becoming tribute,” Wadekar’s son Prasad Wadekar informed TOI.
On March 20, quickly after receiving the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award for Administration’ on the MCA’s annual prize distribution operate on the Sharad Pawar Indoor Academy Floor in BKC, veteran administrator Prof Ratnakar Shetty had urged the MCA to call not less than one thing on the Wankhede Stadium after Wadekar and never ‘overlook him.’
Shetty, who served as an office-bearer on the MCA after which as a senior staffer on the BCCI, mentioned in his speech, ” I’ve one request to make, please do not forget Ajit Wadekar. He deserves to be named on the Wankhede Stadium. He was one of many biggest India captains and I believe it’s time that we give that honour to him additionally.”
In Feb 2022, Shetty had requested the MCA to call the Grandstand above the ‘President’s Field’ on the Wankhede Stadium after Wadekar, who handed away in 2018. At the moment, the widow of the previous India captain, Rekha Ajit Wadekar, had urged the MCA to call the affiliation’s upcoming museum after her husband.

MCA to honour ex-prez Amol Kale too
The MCA has additionally determined to call a lounge on the Wankhede after its former president Amol Kale, who handed away in 2024 in New York. “Additional, in a heartfelt tribute to Late Shri Amol Kale, the match day workplace on the MCA Pavilion will now be referred to as the MCA Workplace Lounge in reminiscence of Shri Amol Kale,” the MCA knowledgeable in a launch.
In a press release, the MCA mentioned, “The MCA efficiently convened its 86th Annual Basic Assembly in the present day, reaffirming its dedication to the expansion and improvement of cricket in Mumbai. A serious spotlight of the assembly was the choice to extend the corpus for affiliated golf equipment to Rs. 75 crores, with a forward-looking plan to boost it to Rs. 100 crores within the coming years. This important transfer is geared toward strengthening grassroots infrastructure and supporting the long-term progress of cricket throughout town.