MUMBAI: In a rare gathering of cricket history, three legends who achieved landmark Test batting milestones—Sunil Gavaskar, Allan Border and Sachin Tendulkar—were present together for a celebration in Mumbai. The event was hosted by Ravi Shastri, and it took place at a five-star hotel on Wednesday night as part of the excitement around a new naming at the Wankhede Stadium. The line-up brought together the first player to reach 10,000 Test runs, the first to cross 11,000, and the only man to reach 15,000, with Tendulkar being the one recognised for the 12,000 milestone as well.
Stand named after Shastri at Wankhede
On April 9, the Mumbai Cricket Association held a glittering function at the Wankhede Stadium where a stand was named in honour of Shastri. The location was especially fitting—positioned below the commentators’ box. During the same ceremony, the stadium gates were dedicated to Indian cricket figures from the 1970s, Dilip Sardesai and Eknath Solkar, along with Diana Edulji, the former captain of the India women’s team.
Later, Shastri addressed the crowd with visible emotion at the party, which carried a high-spirited atmosphere befitting the host’s larger-than-life personality. He said, “I truly value everyone who is here. Some of these people may have known me for 40 years, others for 30 or 20 years—yet they have all played a role in my journey. My mother, Lakshmi, my wife, Ritu Singh, and my daughter, Aleka, are here as well.”
“Work your backside off” message from Shastri
Speaking about the quality and reputation of the players after whom the Wankhede stand is named, Shastri delivered a motivational message to the audience. He remarked, “You have to work extremely hard to earn that kind of recognition at the Wankhede Stadium. I have colleagues here who already have a place named after them—and three of them are present tonight. So before I join their company, let me call out their names: Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Together, the four of us have played 521 Tests.”
Shastri then acknowledged Border, the celebrated former Australia captain, under whom the Australians lifted the 1987 World Cup on Indian soil. He added, “I mentioned the names—so why don’t we take one special name tonight? He is here. Thanks to ‘Sunny’ (Gavaskar). His name is Allan Border. Among all the players I’ve faced, either as a teammate or opponent, he was one of the toughest competitors. We shared good mornings and good evenings, both on and off the field. Sometimes it was different on the field, but you learned the game—played the hard way, and still maintained fairness, the Australian way.”
Border in India ahead of MI vs CSK
Border is currently in India to watch three IPL matches, including the marquee fixture between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings on Thursday night at the Wankhede Stadium. The former left-handed batter had previously revealed in June 2023 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2016.
Guests at the party
A number of notable names from Indian cricket also attended Shastri’s celebrations. Among those present were former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan, Shastri’s 1983 World Cup teammate Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Sanjay Manjrekar, Yajurvindra Singh, Nilesh Kulkarni, and Jatin Paranjape, who is currently part of the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee. Also in attendance were former Mumbai captain and opener Shishir Hattangadi, a close friend of Shastri, along with MCA president Ajinkya Naik.
Shastri’s Wankhede record
Shastri’s connection with the Wankhede Stadium goes beyond the honours—he enjoyed considerable success there during his playing career. In the Ranji Trophy season of 1984-85, he struck Baroda’s spinner Tilak Raj for six sixes in an over. That same season, in the final against Delhi, he produced a match-winning spell, taking eight wickets for 91 using his left-arm spin. He then helped lead a young Mumbai side to the Ranji Trophy title in 1993-94, a campaign that also marked his farewell from first-class cricket.
Across his Test career, Shastri played six of his 80 matches at the Wankhede Stadium. In those games, he scored 457 runs at an average of 57.12, including two centuries, and he also took 17 wickets at 29.94, with his best figures being four for 45.
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