From being denied entry to having a stand: Rohit Sharma reflects on Wankhede tribute

India captain and Mumbai Indians veteran batsman has described having a stand named after him at the Wankhede stadium as a "great honour", noting that he doesn't know how to react when his name comes up at the iconic stadium.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rohit said, “It's a huge honour. I mean, I mentioned about it as a young kid. You know, I used to come here watch the game. We were not allowed to come inside the stadium at some stage, and then, obviously, having played all my cricket here, grown up playing in this ground now, to have that big honour, it's a very emotional moment. You know, whenever that happens, whenever that name comes there, I don't know how I'm going to react.”

Earlier this month, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) approved a proposal to rename the Divecha Pavilion Level 3 at the Wankhede Stadium as the 'Rohit Sharma Stand'. With this latest honour, Rohit joins an elite list of players to have their names inscribed on the stands at Mumbai's cricketing cathedral.

Notably, the East Stand at the Wankhede is named after legendary opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar, while the West Stand is named after Vijay Merchant. The North Stand is named after Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as the greatest batsman to have played for India. Tendulkar also has a life-size statue inside the stadium.

Rohit roars back to form:

After a string of low scores in this year's IPL, the Hitman finally roared back to form on Sunday as he scored his first half century this season. Chasing CSK's 176/5, Mumbai Indians were off to a flying start with Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton putting 63 runs for the first wicket in just 6.4 overs. Although the South African was caught brilliantly at the deep, Rohit continued his onslaught with Suryakumar Yadav in company.

In the end, the former Mumbai Indians captain remained unbeaten on 76 off 45 balls with four boundaries and six sixes. Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav put on an unbeaten 114 runs for the second wicket off 54 balls as Mumbai Indians won by nine wickets.