Eight surviving members of the Mumbai team, who were part of the first-ever First-Class match here at the Wankhede Stadium during the 1974-1975 season, were rewarded with Rs 10 lakh each by the Mumbai Cricket Association, here on Wednesday.
These eight members of Mumbai team, then known as Bombay, which also won the title that season are: Sunil Gavaskar, Karsan Ghavri, Padmakar Shivalkar, Farokh Engineer, Ajit Pai, Milind Rege, Abdul Ismail and Rakesh Tandon.
Five of these eight players — Shivalkar, Ghavri, Pai, Rege and Ismail — were present during the event. The announcement was made by the MCA secretary Abhay Hadap during a ceremony to felicitate the members of the Mumbai team which played the maiden First-Class match at the Wankhede.
“We are honoured to have with us the members of the Mumbai team that participated in the inaugural first-class match at Wankhede Stadium in 1974.
“They are truly the gems of Wankhede, and we hold them in the highest esteem. We are delighted to announce a cash reward of INR 10 lakhs for each of the surviving members,” said MCA president Ajinkya Naik during the function.
The governing body also felicitated officials of the past from the year 1975 during the event, which is a part of the week-long celebrations organized by the MCA to mark the completion of 50 years of the iconic stadium.
Earlier in the day, Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane spoke with the groundsmen of the MCA who work at various venues such as the Wankhede Stadium, Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in BKC and the Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana in Kandivali.
“During matches, every team expects a quality pitch and well-maintained ground. However, the hard work of the groundsmen often goes unrecognised. It’s easy to criticize, but few consider the effort that goes into their work.
“Today, the MCA has taken a commendable initiative. You, the groundmen, are vital to Mumbai cricket. Regardless of which teams come to play, your contributions will always be significant,” said Rahane.
