A tweet by News24TV journalist Manak Gupta stating Motera stadium in Ahmedabad would be renamed to 'Narendra Modi Stadium' on Wednesday took social media by storm, with several Twitter users falsely calling Gupta's tweet as fake.
President Ramnath Kovind inaugurated the world's largest cricket stadium named after prime minister Narendra Modi at Motera in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on February 24.
The president was participating in the bhumi pujan of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave within which the stadium is housed. The event was also attended by Home minister Amit Shah, Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju among others.
Motera stadium, now known as Narendra Modi stadium, had hosted the 'Namastae Trump' event on February 24 last year. The third match in a series of test matches between India and England began at the Narendra Modi Stadium on February 24.
Meanwhile, confusion reigned supreme on social media over the name of the stadium that was earlier known as Sardar Patel stadium or Motera stadium, with many social media users calling the renaming of the stadium fake news.
However, things were clear once the president digitally inaugurated the Narendra Modi stadium.
Here's all you need to know about the Narendra Modi stadium, previously called Sardar Patel or Motera stadium.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave
The stadium is situated within the sports enclave, the bhumi pujan (foundation stone laying ceremony) of which was conducted on February 24. The stadium has been inaugurated on the same day and the third test match between India and England is being hosted here.
According to the official website of Gujarat Cricket Association, the stadium was constructed in 1982. In 2015, it was decided to reconstruct it into the world's largest stadium and the work completed on February 2020. The stadium now has a seating capacity of over 1.1 lakh.
The sports enclave, which includes the stadium, is spread over 215 acres in Motera, Ahmedabad. The enclave altogether would focus on the development of various sports including athletics, basketball, football and other outdoor and indoor stadiums.
The Narendra Modi stadium meanwhile sprawls across 63 acres with a seating capacity of 1,32,000 spectators. The decision of demolishing the old stadium and building in its place a bigger stadium was taken in 2014 when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat and then president of the Gujarat Cricket Association.
Built at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore, the stadium has been conceptualised by Australian architect firm Populous, the brain behind the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The stadium has 11 pitches made of black and red soil and boasts to be the only cricket stadium in the world to offer four dressing room for the players. In case of rainfall, water can be drained within 30 minutes avoiding the cancellation of matches. The stadium also includes shadow-less - a first of its kind in India - lighting system which consumes less power. There are two separate practice grounds with small pavilion.