Former India captain and coach Ravi Shastri will be honoured at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 9, with a stand named after him, marking another proud moment in his celebrated cricket journey. The Level 1 stand below the press box will now officially be known as the Ravi Shastri Stand, a fitting tribute to one of Mumbai’s most recognisable cricketing figures.

Writing in The Indian Express, Ravi Shastri looked back on his early days at Wankhede as a young cricketer and recalled how deeply connected he has always felt to the iconic venue. He described the stadium not just as a ground where he played, but as a place packed with memories, emotion and years of personal growth.

The honour, he said, means even more because it comes at a venue that shaped so much of his cricketing life. Ravi Shastri also reflected on the crowd’s changing attitude over the years. He remembered how his family used to attend matches regularly and how his father once stopped coming after the crowd began booing him.

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That phase, however, was eventually replaced by appreciation as his career progressed and his contributions as a player, coach and commentator earned wider respect.

“My family came to every match for years. They saw all of it. Then came the period when I was being booed. ‘Ravi Shastri hai, hai, hai’. My father was a doctor. He said: ‘I’m not coming anymore.’ And he didn’t,” Ravi Shastri recalled. “Then I became the coach of India and later a commentator. That same ‘hai-hai’ eventually became ‘hi-hi’…”

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis will unveil Ravi Shastri Stand at the Wankhede Stadium later today. Don’t be surprised if there is a ‘major announcement’ besides honouring Shastri and three other stalwarts – Dilip Sardesai, Eknath Solkar and Diana Edulji – in whose names stadium… pic.twitter.com/igTqX3k3MX

— Amol Karhadkar (@karhacter) April 9, 2026

He also said the most meaningful part of the honour is the location of the stand, which sits close to the press box. For Shastri, that detail carries special value because the media played an important role in his cricketing story.

“I would have been nobody without the media,” he said, adding that the recognition feels especially personal because of where the stand has been placed.

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Ravi Shastri further recalled the changing face of Mumbai, from the familiar route through Churchgate to Wankhede, saying the city may have evolved, but the memories remain unchanged. The stadium will also unveil gates named after Dilip Sardesai, Eknath Solkar and Diana Edulji on the same day, making the occasion even more special for Indian cricket.