Three blocks at Wankhede to be named after former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar

After dedicating the very seat where his World Cup-winning six landed to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to name three blocks (from the far eastern end) of the North Stand at the Wankhede Stadium after another former India captain, Dilip Vengsarkar.

The proposal was floated earlier this month by Apex Council member Nadim Memon, but the consensus to implement the move was “unanimously accepted” in Tuesday’s meeting. It was Ajinkya Naik, another Apex Council member, who proposed to name the particular seat after MS Dhoni in remembrance of his six in the final of the 2011 World Cup.

The MCA has also made Dilip Vengsarkar a part of its museum committee, which includes ex-MCA president Ravi Savant, former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official Ratnakar Shetty, MCA chief executive officer CS Naik, former BCCI media manager Devendra Prabhudesai, ex-committee member Naveen Shetty and senior journalist Clayton Murzello.

Vengsarkar has been a servant of the game

DIlip Vengsarkar played 116 Tests and 129 ODIs between 1976 and 1992, scoring 6868 and 3508 runs in each format. Nicknamed the ‘Colonel’, Vengsarkar scored three hundreds in successive Tests at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, and remains the only overseas player to have scored three centuries at the ground.

He served as the chief national selector from 2006 to 2008. After taking over the reins from Kiran More in 2006, Vengsarkar’s tenure abruptly ended in 2008 after he had picked a young Virat Kohli over Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath.

Apparently, the then Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) treasurer was not happy with Vengsarkar’s selection. He was replaced by former India and Tamil Nadu player Kris Srikkanth. Vengsarkar also remained vice-president of the Mumbai Cricket Association from 2001 to 2017.