President Ram Nath Kovind, on Wednesday (February 24), performed ‘bhumi pujan’ inaugurated the newly revamped Motera Stadium ahead of the start of the Day-Night Test between India and England. Home Minister Amit Shah, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju were also present at the inauguration ceremony of the world’s largest cricket stadium.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, who underwent two sets of angioplasty last month, was not able to be a part of the inauguration ceremony and had rued missing the Pink Ball Test.
“Will miss being at the stadium today ..what an effort it must have been to create this ..pink test was our dream and it’s going be the 2nd one in india”: Sourav Ganguly wrote on Twitter.
BCCI had the plan of hosting a Day-Night Test at the refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera (also called the Motera stadium) when England tour India in February 2021 and we are only hours away from it. The BCCI secretary had confirmed the dates for England’s tour of India and that a day-night Test will be held at this venue from February 24. The Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, apart from hosting the day-night Test, will also be the venue for a 5-match T20I series that will follow.
With a capacity of 1,10,000, which trumps the MCG in Australia that can accommodate 90,000 people, this stadium in Ahmedabad is also the largest cricket stadium in the world with four world-class dressing rooms. As many as 55,000 fans (fifty per cent capacity) are expected to be present at the stadium for the much-anticipated Pink Ball Test match- India’s 2nd at home.
