‘Forever grateful for this huge honour’

Indiarsquos Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma expressed his immense gratitude to the Mumbai Cricket Association MCA for deciding at its Annual General Meeting to name a stand after him at the Wankhede StadiumTough early daysAn emotional Rohit recalled how as a teenager he used to try to enter the Wankhede premises just to catch a glimpse of Mumbairsquos Ranji Trophy players practisingComparing that moment to this Indiarsquos T20 World Cup and Champions Trophywinning skipper said he was overwhelmed ldquoI remember those days when I used to stand outside the Wankhede and try to enter to watch the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team practice Irsquom talking about 2003 or 2004 We used to finish our U14 U16 training at Azad Maidan and my friends and I would cross the railway tracks and come here to see the Ranji cricketers I know how tough it was to get inside the Wankhede Stadium back thenAnd now to learn that there will be a stand in the same stadium named after me itrsquos an unreal feeling Itrsquos something Irsquove never thought of I will be forever grateful for this huge honourrdquo Rohit said during the announcement of the T20 Mumbai Leaguersquos third season at a fivestar hotel on FridayRohit also recalled how he was trembling while entering the Mumbai teamrsquos dressing room for the first time at Wankhede ldquoItrsquos not everyonersquos cup of tea to come and represent Mumbai When I was selected for Mumbai and I entered the dressing room for the first time my legs were trembling There were players like Amol Muzumdar Wasim Jaffer Nilesh Kulkarni Sairaj Bahutule Ramesh Powarhellip all sitting there I was looking around thinking where should I sit Will I get a place or not These are the cricketers we grew up watching and suddenly if you see yourself with them you sure to feel nervous because you donrsquot know what to do and how to reactrdquo said Rohit who unveiled the T20 Mumbai League TTML trophy and is the eventrsquos brand ambassadorTTML begins on May 26The eightteam third season of the TTML will begin on May 26 the MCA announced in Rohitrsquos presence Two new teams were also welcomed ndash Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd and Royal Edge Sports amp EntertainmentRoadway Solutions secured the operating rights of Team Sobo Mumbai Falcons for R82 crore while Royal Edge Sports acquired the team representing Mumbai South Central region for Rs 57 croreThe TTML held its first two editions in 2018 and 2019 and as it resumes after six years Rohit is hopeful that many city players will benefit from this platform ldquoMumbai has a rich cricketing legacy and wersquove seen some incredible players emerge from here Itrsquos great to see the league return and Irsquom excited to be a part of itI would encourage every youngster to grab this opportunity Irsquom confident the third season will be a memorable experience mdash not just for the players but for the fans as wellrdquo added Rohit 37 who has 67 Tests 273 ODIs and 159 T20Is apart from 129 firstclass games under his beltatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params