Wankhede; still brings painful memories

Rex Clementine in Bombay

What if Kule had held onto that catch? What if Mathews had not got injured? What if Murali hadn’t picked up a niggle? These are the immediate thoughts that come to mind as you visit Wankhede Stadium. Sri Lanka having started off the 2011 World Cup final so well, fell agonizingly short against hosts India, 11 years ago.

Every now and then politicians cast aspirations and want the public to believe that everything wasn’t tickety-boo about that game. They question why four changes were made for the final and what not, conveniently forgetting that the press had reported to expect all those changes 48 hours before the game.

The politicians also forget that India were the best team in the competition. How? Here’s how. Sri Lanka had lost to Pakistan in the group stage and their game against Australia was washed out. Then they were lucky to meet England in the quarter-finals and New Zealand in the semi-finals. Two knock-out games at RPS proved to be a cakewalk for Kumar Sangakkara’s side.

India, meanwhile beat defending champions Australia in the quarter-finals and arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi.

Next time when people with little knowledge of the game tell you cock and bull stories, take them with a pinch of salt.

Situated in the heart of Bombay, right next to the Churchgate Train Station, Wankhede Stadium has been named after former Board President S.K. Wankhede.

A lawyer by profession, Wankhede was a freedom fighter. He entered politics after independence in 1947 and was the President of Bombay Cricket Association for 25 years from 1963 to his death. He headed the Indian board in 1980s.

Like Colombo, Bombay also has several venues that have hosted Test matches. India’s first-ever home Test match in 1933 was held at the Bombay Gymkhana.

From 1948 to 1973 Test matches in Bombay shifted to Brabourne Stadium. However, there was a dispute between the Cricket Club of India that owned Brabourne Stadium and Bombay Cricket Association about the distribution of ticket revenues from games and in 1975 Test cricket shifted to the newly built stadium and later was named as Wankhede.

Sri Lanka have played a Test match at Brabourne Stadium though. Some may think this is unlikely as the nation was granted Test status only in 1981. But, in 2009 Wankhede was under constriction for the 2011 World Cup and the third Test between Sri Lanka and India was played at Brabourne.

Bombay is the heart and soul of Indian cricket. The city has produced many Indian stars from Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar.

India’s domestic cricket tournament Ranji Trophy has been dominated by Bombay, who have won the title a record 41 times.

Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani also lives here, just a few kilometers from the Wankhede. He owns the Mumbai Indians franchise, and they are the most successful team in the IPL having won five titles.

There are several Sri Lankans who are held in high esteem in Bombay having helped the franchise to be successful. Ambanis paid US$ 975,000 to secure the services of Sanath Jayasuriya in the first IPL auction in 2008.

Lasith Malinga too was with Mumbai Indians throughout his career while currently, Mahela Jayawardene is their main think tank.

With a population of over 20 million, Bombay is world’s eighth most populous city and the financial capital of India. The main language spoken here is Marathi.