The Mumbai Cricket Association on Wednesday honoured the groundsmen in a unique way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wankhede Stadium. According to an Indian Express report, 178 active groundsmen were given a Jumbo household hamper as a token of appreciation for their efforts.
MCA president Ajinkya Naik sharing his thoughts on this unique felicitation said, “We could have given them money but that’s what we do all the time. We give them monetary bonuses for festivals and even when we host games. This time, we wanted to do something different and make their day memorable,”
He added, “We decided to present them with everything that one uses throughout the day. It’s just a list of basic things. Their role most of the time goes unnoticed but they are the heartbeat of each ground and stadium.”
What did the Jumbo hamper consist of?
As per the report Jumbo household hamper consists of Five kilograms each of wheat, rice and dal. A mixer grinder along with medical and hydration kits. Backpack, mini kit bag and waist pouch. Tea bags and kettle. Towels and napkins. Pens and notepads. Bedsheet and pillow. T-shirt, track pants, shorts, socks, shoes, flip-flops, jackets, sunglasses, caps and hats. Toothbrush, toothpaste, soaps, hair oil, comb, blanket, umbrella, raincoat, utensils, sunscreen, and even sipper bottles.
MCA members of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy winning team of 1974
Besides groundstaff, MCA also feliciatted members of the first ever Mumbai Ranji trophy-winning team of 1974. 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.
