Sardar Patel Stadium – the World's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad is ready to become one of the premier cricket centers in the country. Motera Stadium, which also hosted the famous India vs Australia QF in 2011 WC, was demolished in 2015 for reconstruction. It took nearly five years for the stadium to get back to its feet and is now recognized as the largest cricket stadium in the world.
In India vs England Test Series, the new Motera Stadium will play host to its maiden international fixture when the two sides lock horns in the third Test of the series. It will be a momentous occasion as India will play their only second Pink-Ball (D/N) Test match at home.
Contents
- 1 Interesting Facts About Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad
- 2 1. World's Largest Cricket Stadium – Ground Size
- 3 2. Seating Capacity
- 4 3. Cricket Pitches
- 5 4. Unobstructed Fan View
- 6 5. Maiden International Fixture
- 7 6. Indoor Sports Facilities
- 8 7. Corporate Boxes and Dressing Rooms
- 9 8. No Flood Lights at the Motera Stadium
- 10 9. Provision for Transport
- 11 10. Re-Construction Cost
- 12 Cricket History and Record at Motera Stadium
- 13 Special Feats achieved at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad
Interesting Facts About Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad
1. World's Largest Cricket Stadium – Ground Size
The re-constructed Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad is now the world's largest cricket stadium. It is only behind the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, which is the world’s largest stadium with a seating capacity of 114,000. The new stadium is spread across 63 acres including a playing field size of 162 * 170 yards. It has three entry points compared to one at the old stadium.
2. Seating Capacity
The Motera stadium has a seating capacity of 110,000, making it the largest cricket stadium in the world. It has surpassed the Melbourne Cricket Ground in terms of the highest seating capacity at a cricket stadium. Earlier, Eden Gardens with a capacity of nearly 80,000, was the largest cricket stadium in India.
3. Cricket Pitches
The ground at the Sardar Patel Stadium is known to have a square consisting of 11 different cricket pitches, It is learned that the three types of soil (black, red, and a mix of both) has gone into the making of these 11 pitches at the new stadium. This will allow in producing a variety of surfaces that can be either spin or seam friendly with varied pace and bounce on each different cricket strip.
4. Unobstructed Fan View
The enormity of the stadium can be evaluated from the fact that the spectators in the stands would experience a 360-degree view of the action. This in itself makes for a unique fan experience. The structure is built in such a fashion that eliminates the need for pillars and gives an unobstructed view for the fans in the stadium.
5. Maiden International Fixture
The Sardar Patel Stadium will host its maiden international fixture on February 24. The third Test of India vs England Test series 2021 will be the first time that an Indian team takes the field at the world's largest stadium in Ahmedabad. It will be a Pink-Ball Test, soon followed by the fourth Test and the five T20Is.
6. Indoor Sports Facilities
The stadium is built to have an indoor cricket academy with a hostel for 40 athletes. It has an Olympic-size swimming pool along with state-of-art club facilities. Along with the playing cricket field, the stadium has three separate practice grounds for training.
7. Corporate Boxes and Dressing Rooms
As one of the key features, the stadium is primed to have 76 corporate boxes along with four dressing rooms. Each corporate box has a capacity to hold 25 members. It is accompanied by a 55-room clubhouse.
8. No Flood Lights at the Motera Stadium
There are no floodlights present at the stadium. Instead, there's a ring of LED lights, 580 of them, to illuminate the world's largest stadium for any action during the night time. It will be one of the first cricket stadiums in India to have this feature instead of the traditional floodlights at every cricket ground.
9. Provision for Transport
The stadium possesses the biggest parking area within the stadium premises as it can hold up to 3000 cars and 10, 000 two-wheelers in a single go. It surely comes as a major relief for the fans coming out to support their favorite teams in the times to come at the Motera Stadium.
10. Re-Construction Cost
The cricket stadium, whose re-construction began in October 2015, was estimated to cost a budget of nearly INR 700 Crores. H0wever, as revealed later, the project completed in February 2020 with an estimated cost nearing INR 800 Crores.
Cricket History and Record at Motera Stadium
First Test: India vs West Indies, 1983
First ODI: India vs Australia, 1984
Only T20I: India vs Australia, 2012
Test Records at Motera Stadium | Sardar Patel Stadium
- Most Test Runs: Rahul Dravid (771 runs in 14 innings @ 59.30)
- Most Test Wickets: Anil Kumble (36 wickets in 7 matches @ 26.77)
- Highest Individual Score: 275 – Mahela Jayawardene vs India, 2009
- Highest Team Score: 760/7d by Sri Lanka vs India, 2009
ODI Records at Motera Stadium | Sardar Patel Stadium
- Most ODI Runs: Chris Gayle (316 runs)
- Most ODI wickets: Kapil Dev (10 wickets in 6 matches @ 15.6)
- Highest Individual Score: 144 – Sourav Ganguly vs Zimbabwe, 2005
- Highest ODI Team Score: 365/2 by South Africa vs India, 2010
Special Feats achieved at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad
1. Sunil Gavaskar registered his 10,000th run in Test Cricket against Pakistan 1986-87.
2. Kapil Dev got his 432nd Test wicket to go past Sir Richard Hadlee's tally of most wickets in Test Cricket against Sri Lanka in 1994.
3. Sachin Tendulkar gets to 18,000 runs in ODI cricket in a World Cup match against Australia in 2011.
4. Harbhajan Singh slammed his maiden Test ton in 2010 against New Zealand in his 88th Test appearance for India.
