The Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium in Motera takes over from the icon Melbourne Cricket Ground as the world's biggest cricket stadium.
Located in Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, the Motera Stadium will be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday as the venue gets set to host the third Test match between India and England, which starts on Wednesday.
"The stadium will be inaugurated on Thursday by President Ram Nath Kovind in the special presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. There will be a festive atmosphere in the entire country including Gujarat," Press Information Bureau said in a release.
The Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium is spread over 63 acres, with a seating capacity of 1.10 lakh people. It overtakes Melbourne Cricket Ground, which can accommodate 90,000 people.
After the 'Statue of Unity' of Vallabhbhai Patel in Narmada -- the world's largest statue, the state of Gujarat is going to set the new record of housing the world's largest stadium in cricket.
Built at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore, the stadium is a sight to behold.
The stadium has been constructed by the Larsen & Turbo (L&T) company, which also built the Statue of Unity in a very short span of five years.
The Motera stadium which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream project will include 76 corporate boxes, Olympic level swimming pool, indoor academy, four dressing rooms for athletes, food courts and the Gujarat Cricket Association club house.
A total of 11 clay pitches of six red and five black soil have been prepared in the stadium. It is the first stadium to use both coloured clay for main and practice pitches. In the event of rain, the pitch can be dried in only 30 minutes.
The state-of-the-art LED floodlights will not warm up the atmosphere and will provide comfort to the spectators as well as the cricketers. An innovative feature of this stadium is that the 360-degree podium concourse at a height of 9 meters simplifies the movement of spectators, as well as provides a uniform view to the spectators from any stand.
The corporate boxes that are designed have a seating capacity of 25 each. Huge dressing rooms have been created for both teams. Separate state-of-the-art gyms have also been set up. A special lounge has been built near the players and VIP entrance.
The autographed bat collection of players participating in the IPL and World Cups in the Autograph Gallery at the stadium is the major center of attraction. The 'Hall of Fame', featuring photographs of world-renowned cricketers, catches the eyeballs of the spectators.
The old Motera Stadium, which was demolished in 2016, had a capacity of 54,000 spectators.
