India vs England: Motera Stadium renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium before pink ball Test

The Indian government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have decided to rename the newly-built Motera Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad as Narendra Modi Stadium. The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind performed bhumi pujan and inaugurated the revamped stadium before the commencement of the pink-ball Test i.e third Test of the four-match series between India and England.

Along with President, Home Minister Amit Shah, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju also graced the inauguration ceremony of the world’s largest cricket stadium that boasts of having a capacity of accommodating a whopping 1,32,000 spectators. With a capacity of 1,32,000, Narendra Modi Stadium trumps the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia that has a capacity of about 90,000.

The Stadium named after the current Prime Minister of India is the only stadium in the world to have 11 center pitches on the main ground along 6 indoor pitches with bowling machines and four world-class dressing rooms. While many notable personalities were present in Ahmedabad for the inauguration ceremony of the iconic Stadium, the former Indian captain and current president of the Indian Board, Sourav Ganguly had to give the event a miss.

Sourav Ganguly tweets on Narendra Modi Stadium

Ganguly had suffered from heart problems last month and had to undergo two sets of angioplasty. Thus, the veteran wasn’t allowed to travel. Meanwhile, he took to his official Twitter handle to applaud the authorities for creating a dream Stadium. The former cricketer also hopes to see a good number of fans cheering for Team India from the stands.

“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 to be the 2nd one in india.hope to see full stands like last time. Under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime minister @narendramodi Amit Shah @AmitShah,” Sourav Ganguly tweeted.

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.hope to see full stands like last time. Under the leadership of Honble Prime minister @narendramodi Amit Shah @AmitShah .. pic.twitter.com/za7vdYHTN0

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) February 24, 2021

This is India’s only second pink-ball Test at home. They had featured in their first day-night Test in November 2019 against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens and had registered a comprehensive victory over the visitors. The Test match is crucial for both India and England as it will decide the finalists of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship alongside New Zealand.