"Cannot be confined to one venue": Rajeev Shukla responds to Aaditya Thackeray's WC final in Mumbai remark
Jul 05, 2024
New Delhi [India], July 5 : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla hit back at Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray's remark referring to the World Cup 2023 final that was held in Ahmedabad and stated that "it cannot be confined to one venue".
After the Indian team left the national capital and arrived in Mumbai, the Rohit Sharma-led team kicked off the open-top bus parade from Marine Drive to Wankhede Stadium.
Fans turned up in numbers, danced to the tune of India's success, and celebrated the arrival of the T20 World Cup-winning team. A sea of fans took over Marine Drive as every inch of the road was covered by fans.
Even at the Wankhede Stadium fans ensured that the Indian team's success echoed throughout the stadium.
India will defend their title and co-host the T20 World Cup in 2026 along with Sri Lanka. Thackeray stated that Mumbai sent a strong message to BCCI and that the World Cup final should be held in the state.
"Yesterday's celebration in Mumbai is also a strong message to the BCCI... Never take away a World Cup final from Mumbai!" Thackrey wrote on X.
https://x.com/AUThackeray/status/1809114767140782456
BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla thanked the people of Mumbai for the love and support that they showed and stated that a final cannot be held in one city.
"I thank Mumbaikars who came in such large numbers to welcome the victorious Team India yesterday. Also, I would like to say that it is purely a rotational matter as to where the final should be held, it cannot always be given to one city. Kolkata has also hosted finals. Mumbai has also hosted finals," Shukla said.
"Similarly, the capacity of the Ahmedabad ground is more than 1.30 lakh and we also go by the capacity. You cannot be confined to one venue. But of course, we were very happy to see the response of Mumbaikars. Every match is important and Mumbai is always on our priority list. But to say that it should be held only in one city, this never happens in any country," he added.
Once the victory parade ended and the team arrived at the Wankhede Stadium, the Indian cricket players danced to the tunes of 'dhol' with fans cheering for them.
