Mumbai: The MCA (Maharashtra Cricket Association) recently came forward and announced that they will be installing a life-size statue of former India cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The decision to do the same was taken at the MCA’s apex meeting that was held on October 8.
It is worth noting that Dilip Vengsarkar is one of the biggest names in Indian cricket. Throughout his career, Vengsarkar played a total of 116 test matches and 129 ODIs as well. In his matches, he scored 6868 runs in the longest format and amassed 3508 runs in ODI cricket.
Interestingly, Vengsarkar has previously served as the vice-president of the MCA, and former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had a statue of himself revealed in the stadium premises, with Vengsarkar being next.
“The Council has unanimously resolved to install a life-size statue of Dilip Vengsarkar at Wankhede Stadium in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Indian and Mumbai cricket,” the MCA said in a statement.
MCA president opens up on decision to install a statue of Vengsarkar
With the announcement of the installation of Vengsarkar’s statue, the MCA’s president, Ajinkya Naik, took centre stage and opined that installing Vengsarkar’s statue is the MCA’s way of paying tribute to one of the biggest cricketers in the country.
“Honouring Dilip Vengsarkar with a statue at Wankhede is a tribute to one of Mumbai’s greatest cricketing icons, while our support for farmers and maidan clubs underlines MCA’s deep-rooted connection with the community,” Ajinkya Naik was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Furthermore, the MCA has also decided to set up various academies around the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to better nurture the young talent. “We are focused on strengthening the cricketing ecosystem from the grassroots. Setting up academies across the MMR and providing ground equipment to maidan clubs will help nurture the next generation of cricketers and ensure they have access to world-class facilities,” MCA secretary Abhay Hadap said.
