So many records and historic moments have been written at this ground! The Wankhede Stadium is where India clinched their last ODI World Cup victory, Sachin Tendulkar bid farewell to international cricket, and Virat Kohli scored his 50th ODI century—memories that define Indian cricket.
Now, Wankhede Stadium itself has made history. On its 50th anniversary, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) set a Guinness World Record by using 14,505 cricket balls to create a sentence: “Fifty Years of Wankhede Stadium.”
The sentence, made entirely of red and white cricket balls, consists of 27 letters. Speaking about this remarkable achievement, MCA President Ajinkya Naik shared, “With great excitement, we announce that the sentence made with 14,505 cricket balls at Wankhede has entered the Guinness Book of World Records.”
Naik further added, “This incredible accomplishment is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first Test at this ground and to the late Indian all-rounder Eknath Solkar, as well as former Mumbai cricketers who are no longer with us.”
Eknath Solkar, who played 28 international matches for India, scored a century in the very first Test at Wankhede, held against the West Indies on January 23, 1975.
Wankhede’s legacy extends beyond Tests. The first ODI at the venue was played in 1987, and the first international T20 was held in 2012.
As part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations, the MCA organized several events, including a grand exhibition on January 19. The exhibition was graced by cricket legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, and Rohit Sharma. Players from Mumbai’s men’s and women’s teams and veterans from Mumbai’s first-ever First-Class match at Wankhede in 1974 also attended.
