The wait is finally over. The world’s largest cricket stadium, Motera in Ahmedabad, will be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday. Later in the day, the inauguration will be followed by the country’s second ‘pink ball’ day/night Test match. It will feature India versus England.
Exactly one year ago, on February 24, 2020, the then president of the US, Donald Trump was welcomed at a programme “Namaste Trump” at the venue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose dream project is the Motera Cricket Stadium, was alongside Trump. The programme had come in for criticism from various quarters as it was believed that the gathering also resulted in spread of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, the programme that begins at 11.30am will witness the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.
The stadium, constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore by L&T, has state-of-the-art facilities, including an Olympic-size swimming pool, an indoor sports academy and a sprawling clubhouse.
The Motera Cricket Stadium has a seating capacity of 1.10 lakh, surpassing that of Melbourne Cricket Ground, which has a capacity to accommodate 90,000 spectators. Spread over 63-acres land, the stadium of Gujarat Cricket Association has been constructed in a record time of about two years.
During his stint as the chief minister of Gujarat, Modi had made up his mind to have the world’s biggest cricket stadium and thus the old Motera stadium, on the banks of river Sabarmati, was brought down to make way for the architectural marvel.
The stadium has a total of 11 pitches and the system has been designed in such a manner that in the event of rains, water can be cleared from the ground within half-hour.
The conventional floodlights have been replaced by state-of-the-art LED floodlights on the roof of the stadium and it is believed that the spectators, who are sitting in the top rows of the stadium, would not feel the heat because of the lights.
The stadium has more than 70 air-conditioned corporate boxes. The complex has been designed in such a manner that it will facilitate smooth flow of spectators. The stadium will also be connected to metro rail.
Videos of Indian cricketers, including Hardik Pandya and Cheteshwar Pujara, are doing the rounds. In the videos, the cricketers can be seen and heard saying how much they have liked the facilities and can’t wait to play on the ground. They are also praising the dressing rooms, which are connected with gymnasium for the players.