The unveiling took place before the toss of India's ODI World Cup match against Australia. International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah, BCCI President Mithun Manhas, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh, ACA president and Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath, and Mithali herself, along with other dignitaries, were present on the occasion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The decision to name a stand after Mithali and the gate in honour of Kalpana at the ACA-VDCA Stadium was taken by the Andhra Cricket Association last week.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The decision came after star batter Smriti Mandhana made a request during the \u201cBreaking Boundaries\u201d fireside chat with Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh in August 2025, where she highlighted the absence of stadium stands named after leading Indian women cricketers, including at Visakhapatnam.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mandhana felt that the renaming of such stands would honour the contribution of women cricketers, while also spotlighting their contributions to the game. It would also inspire the next generation of women to enter cricket as a profession.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Acting on Mandhana\u2019s appeal, Minister Nara Lokesh immediately consulted the Andhra Cricket Association, leading to a prompt resolution to honour the women\u2019s cricket icons by naming stands after them at the Vizag venue.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam already has a stand each named after former India stars MSK Prasad and Venugopal Rao.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mithali, a stalwart of women's cricket, holds the record for the most runs in women's ODIs. She scored 7805 runs from 232 ODIs at an average of 50.68 with seven centuries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam already has a stand each named after former India stars MSK Prasad and Venugopal Rao.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kalpana played seven ODIs between 2015 and 2016, and her rise to the India team has inspired several cricketers from the region, such as Arundhati Reddy, S Meghana, and N Shree Charani.<\/p>\r\n\r\n