The Wankhede Stadium witnessed history when the T20 World Cup 2026 was officially declared open on Saturday. Bringing the best of Bollywood glamor and music, the evening witnessed Rohit Sharma’s loudest cheer.
Rohit Sharma at the opening event of the T20 World Cup 2026
The man who led India to victory in 2024 was emotional after returning to the stadium.
A new video of Rohit Sharma has surfaced which is leaving fans nostalgic. “Ajeeb lag raha ha idhar. Waha se idhar ajeeb lag raha ha (It’s so weird. From here to here it’s so weird),” he said in the video as he stood on the field.
Tournament ambassador Rohit Sharma received a standing ovation. There were also loud chants of “Mumbai Cha Raja”. “It’s always nice to be here. They love their cricket here. Mumbai, the energy, I don’t think it will ever disappoint,” Sharma added.
Rohit Sharma met and greeted the Indian side led by Suryakumar Yadav.
He also hugged rapper Badshah. Hardik Pandya also starred in the video.
It’s emotional: Rohit Sharma
“In the midst of everything, sometimes you don’t realize that you have to enjoy the moment too. Enjoy the game too. This moment will never come back. Playing for India will never be easy,” he continued.
“It’s a very emotional feeling because I’m still not used to being on this side of the pitch than on that side.
“It was an amazing experience to stand there and sing the national anthem. It’s very different,” concluded Sharma.
Badshah performed at the opening ceremony, followed by a dance performance by Nora Fatehi. The pitch was also illuminated by state-of-the-art LED displays and pyrotechnics, painting the sky purple and gold.
After the fireworks, the opening clash of India vs USA started.
India vs USA
USA won the toss and decided to field, striking early by removing openers Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. The underdog dominated the opening six overs, with Shadley van Schalkwyk taking three wickets in a single over as India slipped to 46 for 4. India made two changes to their playing XI for the match, leaving out Sanja Samson. Mohammed Siraj replaced the injured Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah ruled out due to illness.
India eventually won the match by 29 runs against USA.