'I wanted to play ... ': Rohit Sharma's emotional confession will give you goosebumps

NEW DELHI: A teary-eyed Rohit Sharma turned into a grateful son on Friday as he thanked his parents in an emotionally charged voice before walking them onto the stage at Wankhede Stadium, where a stand bearing his name was officially unveiled. In that moment, Rohit wasn’t the cricketing superstar — he was a son acknowledging the countless sacrifices his parents had made to help him chase his dreams."It's going to be even more special, to have my family here, parents, brother, wife. I am grateful and thankful for whatever they have sacrificed for me," Rohit said during the ceremony organised by the Mumbai Cricket Association.The 38-year-old then stood by, visibly moved, as his parents — Gurunath and Poornima Sharma — joined Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to press the button that unveiled the Rohit Sharma Stand, accompanied by a burst of fireworks and a shower of confetti.Ritika Sajdeh, Rohit's wife, stood beside him, smiling proudly as she soaked in the emotional moment.Alongside Rohit, two other legends — former India captain Ajit Wadekar and former BCCI president Sharad Pawar — were also honoured with stands named after them at the stadium.For Rohit, the moment was a childhood dream come true — to be mentioned in the same breath as the greats of Indian cricket.He was clearly overwhelmed by the honour."What is going to happen today, I have never dreamed of. As a kid growing up, I wanted to play for Mumbai, for India. For me to have my name amongst the greats of the game, I cannot express it in words."This is also special as I am still playing. I have retired from two formats, but I am still playing one format," he said.Despite all that he has achieved in the sport, Rohit shared one more dream that still lingers."It will be surreal when I play on 21st (for Mumbai Indians in IPL) and have a stand here, it will be special when I represent the country here," he added, hinting at his desire to play an ODI at the Wankhede.Rohit has already bid farewell to T20Is and Test cricket after a glittering international career. The Wankhede holds a special place in his heart — it’s where his cricketing aspirations began."I had never dreamt of what was going to happen today. You try to achieve a lot of milestones, but something like this is really special, because Wankhede is an iconic stadium and so many memories have been made here," said Rohit."Special thanks to Pawar Saheb and Devendra Fadnavis for making it very special, it's a very special day," he added.However, the India star quickly shifted gears into his usual team-first mindset, aware that the Mumbai Indians are still in the hunt for an IPL playoffs spot."My special team MI is also here, waiting for my speech to be over and start training," he said with a smile.Later, Rohit's teammate and close friend Suryakumar Yadav paid a glowing tribute to the MI skipper."Congratulations @rohitsharma45 on achieving incredible things on the cricket ground, from finisher to opener to our captain, you have been an inspiration and our pride, in every role."Very rarely comes a leader who leads from the front, and changes the game for the better. You are that leader who has changed not just the game, but the approach, the attitude, the dressing room atmosphere, the team, and redefined the role of a captain."Like I have said before, good things happen to good people, and you deserve it all and more. Wankhede just got even more iconic," Suryakumar wrote on Instagram shortly after the unveiling.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also lauded Rohit and extended support for future cricketing infrastructure in the city."Our iconic batter, captain and one of my favourites, and one who mesmerizes with his batting is present here," the CM said."If there is a proposal from MCA for a new stadium, we will allot space for that to accommodate more fans," he added.