India vs England: Motera Stadium renamed Narendra Modi Stadium
India and England are all set to lock horns in the third of the four-match Test series, starting February 24. This is a Day/Night Test affair, which will be held at the newly-constructed Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. In a notable development, the venue's name has been changed to Narendra Modi Stadium. Here is all you need to know about it.
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates the world's largest cricket stadium
The Motera Stadium has been renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the world's largest cricket stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah were also present during the inauguration on Wednesday.
A brief history of the Narendra Modi Stadium
The Narendra Modi Stadium, earlier known as the Sardar Patel Stadium, was constructed in 1983 and is located near the banks of the Sabarmati river in Gujarat. In October 2015, the state government decided to redevelop the venue in pursuit of making it the biggest cricket stadium by capacity. Before the renovation, it had a capacity to host nearly 49,000 spectators.
The stadium hosted the 'Namaste Trump' event last year
The new stadium hosted the 'Namaste Trump' event last year, where former US President Donald Trump shared the stage with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now, the stadium will be formally inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind in presence of Home Minister Amit Shah.
A look at the seating capacity of the stadium
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad now has a seating capacity of 1,10,000. However, only 55,000 fans will be allowed to attend the third Test, owing to COVID-19 protocols. Interestingly, the stadium can house more people than M Chinnaswamy (40,000), MA Chidambaram (33,500), and Wankhede Stadium (32,000) combined. It has also overtaken the Melbourne Cricket Ground (1,00,000) in terms of seating capacity.
What are the special facilities?
The Narendra Modi Stadium is equipped with a number of contemporary facilities. It has an innovative drainage system that allows live-action to resume within 30 minutes of downpour. The clubhouse, comprising 55 rooms, has a 3D mini-theatre, an Olympic-size swimming pool, gymnasium, squash court, and steam and sauna. That apart, it has a parking capacity of 3,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers.
Here are the other details
The complex of the stadium has two training grounds, comprising nine pitches and another 11 pitches, each of them being diverse in nature. Meanwhile, every dressing room in the stadium is connected to two gyms with a spacious warm-up area. There is a separate space for trainers, physios, and coaches too. Notably, the absence of floodlight towers provides a clear view of on-field action.
How will the pitch behave?
It is understood that the stadium has 11 clay pitches, six made of red soil and five with black soil. This is the first stadium to use both colored clays for main pitches. As per reports, the wicket to be used in the upcoming Test will likely assist the spinners. However, the pink ball will swing both ways throughout the Test.
Motera Stadium: A look at the notable feats
Before the reconstruction, the Motera Stadium has seen a number of special feats. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar completed 10,000 Test runs in 1986/87 against Pakistan on this venue. Another legend Kapil Dev took his 432nd Test wicket (1994), surpassing the historic mark of Sir Richard Hadlee. During the 2011 World Cup, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar completed 18,000 ODI runs in a match against Australia.
