Largest cricket stadium in the world to be renamed as Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium
The largest cricket stadium in the world in terms of capacity, Motera stadium, has been renamed the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium today. The stadium was earlier named Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium at the time of construction.
The stadium was officially inaugurated on February 24 by the President of India Ramnath Kovind ahead of the third test match between India and England. The much-awaited match between the two teams will draw attention not only because it might give a lead to one of the teams in the ongoing series but also because it will be conducted in one of the most talked-about stadiums in the country.
The stadium, which will be witnessing the third and fourth test between the two teams, was renamed on Wednesday to the name of the Prime Minister of India. The move was not known to any of the media houses and even many of the politicians were unaware of the step.
The news was confirmed by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was also the guest of honor on the occasion, as he said that when PM Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, it was from those days that he wanted to construct the largest cricket stadium in the world.
As CM, “he used to say Gujaratis must also progress in 2 fields – sports and armed forces. He took charge of GCA on my request and promoted sports here. His vision was that the world’s largest cricket stadium be built here. This 1,32,000-seater stadium will be known as Narendra Modi Stadium,” the Home Minister said.
Even the President confirmed the idea of PM Modi during his address saying that the conceptualisation of the stadium was his idea when he was the president of Gujarat Cricket Association during his Gujarat journey. He also added that the stadium marks the eco-friendly journey in the country.
Other than the Home Minister and the President Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, along with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, was also present at the event.
The stadium is an initiative in line with the Sardar Vallabhai Sports Enclave and Amit Shah talked about it saying that the sports enclave is being prepared even with the Olympics in mind. Ahmedabad will be known as the ‘sports city’ of India. Olympic Games can also be held here, said Shah.
The Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju was also present on the occasion where he expressed his happiness saying that it is not just a proud moment for cricket but also for the entire sports community.
