Perfect Birthday Gift: MCA Restores Two Seats for Sunil Gavaskar at Wankhede Stadium

The Mumbai Cricket Association on Thursday decided to reinstate and reposition the two permanent seats at the Wankhede Stadium in the name of batting great Sunil Gavaskar after it went missing following a renovation of the venue in 2011.

The two fixed seats were originally allotted to Gavaskar and his wife at the Garware Pavilion to honour him at the time of his retirement.

However, the seats were not restored after the seating arrangement was changed from cushioned wooden planks to bucket seats during the renovation ahead of the 2011 World Cup.

Nadim Memon, an MCA Apex Council member and a veteran curator, had asked the fellow Apex Council members to restore the two seats.

A day before Gavaskar's 71st birthday, MCA issued a statement saying these seats will be reinstated.

"It was brought to our notice, that the two fixed seats allotted to Smt. and Shri Sunil Gavaskar were inadvertently, not restored," the MCA said in a release.

"However, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) headed by the President, Dr. Vijay D. Patil, has decided not only to reinstate the two fixed seats in their honour but also re-position the two fixed seats in the name of Smt. and Shri Sunil Gavaskar, in the President's Box at the Wankhede Stadium."

The Wankhede Stadium renovation was carried out before the 2011 ODI World Cup.