Rahul Dravid hails Rohit Sharma as Wankhede stand is named after him: ‘A reward for your contribution’

Rahul Dravid hailed Rohit Sharma and his contributions to Mumbai and India cricket as a cricket stand by his name was unveiled on Friday. India ODI captain Rohit Sharma was present at the ceremony along with his parent and wife Ritika Sajdeh as the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) unveiled the Rohit Sharma Stand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

One of the best white-ball players of all time, the Rohit Sharma Stand recognises the immense contribution of the 38-year-old, who recently captained India to the T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025 title victories.

Team India also reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup with an unbeaten streak under Rohit's captaincy while Rahul Dravid was the head coach. Dravid was also part of the team when they won the T20 World Cup last year.

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During his tenure with the team, Dravid formed a strong bond with Rohit and it was only on his instance that the veteran continued to coach India despite defeat in the 2023 World Cup final.

Dravid pays rich tribute to Rohit

Paying tribute to Rohit, Dravid said the new stand in his name is a testament to Rohit's contributions.

"Hey Rohit, guess you hit so many sixes into those stands that they had to name one after you," Dravid said in a video posted by Mumbai Indians on X.

"But no, just congratulations! I'm sure there's 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 play 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, I think it is just a reward to your contribution to both Mumbai and Indian cricket."

Talking about Rohit. He recently retired from Test cricket but continues to be the captain of the Indian side in ODIs.