Rahul Dravid's humorous message to Rohit Sharma for special Wankhede Stadium stand: ‘…I know who to contact’
Rahul Dravid said that having a stand after his name is a reward for Rohit Sharma's contribution to Indian and Mumbai cricket.
Former India head coach Rahul Dravid sent a special message to Rohit Sharma after a stand was named after him in the home ground Wankhede Stadium. Rohit, who recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, was present at Wankhede Stadium when the Mumbai Cricket Association named a stand each after him, former India skipper Ajit Wadekar, and ex-BCCI president Sharad Pawar.
It was a special moment for India's ODI skipper to get a stand named after him at the stadium where he grew up playing and became one of the best white-ball batters to play for India.
Dravid, under whose guidance Rohit and Co. won the 2024 T20 World Cup, shared a special message for his old ally. Dravid said that having a stand after his name is a reward for Rohit's contribution to Indian and Mumbai cricket.
"Hey Rohit. Guess you hit so many sixes into those stands that they had to name one after you! But, congratulations. I’m sure as a young boy going into the iconic Wankhede Stadium — truly one of the great stadiums in the world — I’m sure you would have loved to have played there, I’m sure you would have wanted to have some great performances there, which you have done. I’m not sure you dreamt about having a stand named after you, but that it has come to that and that you have one named after you, it’s a just reward for your contribution to both Mumbai and Indian cricket," Dravid said in a video message shared by Mumbai Indians on their social media account.
“It’s truly well deserved”
Rohit also made his international debut under Dravid's captaincy, and the latter made a witty remark about when he knows who to contact the next time he needs a ticket to watch a match at Wankhede Stadium.
"It’s truly well deserved — congratulations! I hope it was a great day with family and friends. Looking forward to seeing a lot more sixes into the Rohit Sharma Stand in all the games that you play. And when I’m short on tickets in Mumbai — now that you have a stand — I know who to contact,” Dravid added.
The swashbuckling opener recently announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the upcoming five-match series against England, which will mark the beginning of India’s ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign.
Throughout his Test career, he accumulated 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries. His top score of 212 came during a home series against South Africa in 2019.
