Ranji Trophy 2024: MCA hosts felicitation ceremony as Wankhede Stadium turns 50

The historic Wankhede Stadium turned 50 years old and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) did not leave any stone unturned in a bid to celebrate the momentous occasion in grand style.

On Sunday, March 10, the summit clash of Ranji Trophy 2024 got underway between Mumbai and Vidarbha at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Ahead of the clash, MCA felicitated Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane, Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar, and the match officials with a special memento. Also, members of the Mumbai team who played the first match at the venue were felicitated with the memento.

"Built in 1974, the Wankhede Stadium staged its first Test match in 1975. As it launches its golden jubilee celebration, the Mumbai Cricket Association today would like to honour the match officials and the two captains with a special memento," cricketer-turned-commentator Vijay Dahiya said at the start of the felicitation event in a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

MCA President Amol Kale, Sec. Ajinkya Naik & other council members presented the mementos to the players and the officials.

In the first Test held at the Wankhede Stadium in 1975, West Indies defeated India by 201 runs. During the match, a fan rushed onto the ground to meet Clive Lloyd and was treated roughly by the police. India's first win at the stadium came a couple of years later against New Zealand. The stadium underwent reconstruction ahead of the 2011 ODI World Cup and became more spectator-friendly, with bucket seating, a large number of toilets, and food courts. The stadium has an approximate capacity of 32,000 and is packed to the rafters for a lot of the matches as it is situated in a city that lives and breathes cricket.

Shardul Thakur leads Mumbai's fightback after middle-order collapse

After winning the toss, Vidarbha opted to bowl on a greenish track. However, Mumbai openers Prithvi Shaw and Bhupen Lalwani took the opposition bowlers to the cleaners and added 81 runs in 20 overs. However, both of them were dismissed in quick succession as Vidarbha started dominating proceedings. Soon, Mumbai found themselves reeling at 111/6.

However, Mumbai's depth in batting once again came to their rescue as Shardul Thakur, who came out to bat at No. 8, scored a half-century off just 37 balls to bring smiles to the faces of the Mumbai faithful. Thakur is in fine form with the bat as he is coming off a scintillating century against Tamil Nadu in the semifinals. The 41-time Ranji Trophy champions have scored 224 in their first innings and will have a go at the Vidarbha batters looking for some early magic. 

Also Read: Ranji Trophy 2024 Final: Shreyas Iyer continues his dismal run as he gets dismissed by Umesh Yadav's short ball ploy