England are currently in India for a full tour which gets underway from February 5 in Chennai which will host the first two Tests of a four-match series. The central and Tamil Nadu governments have eased the lockdown restrictions opening the possibility of even MA Chidambaram Stadium hosting.
According to a report, since the capacity of the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad also known as Sardar Patel stadium is over 100,000, it can easily accommodate 50 per cent fans. Since the third Test, a day-night affair, will be the first international cricket match at the venue since it was refurbished, BCCI is planning to extend invitation to a host of dignitaries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju among others.
England are the first team to tour India since March last year when the coronavirus outbreak resulted in the visiting South African team returning home without playing a single match on their limited-overs tour of the country. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly considering whether to allow fans to attend the third and fourth Tests against England to be played at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad later this month. The stadium in Motera, which underwent renovation and can now host 1,10,000 fans, is the biggest in the world in terms of capacity.
“As the seating capacity is more than 100,000 in Motera, the GCA can easily accommodate 50 per cent crowds for the third and fourth Tests. The Government has allowed sports stadiums to run with 50 per cent capacity so it has been decided to allow fans for the matches in Ahmedabad. The media will also be able to cover the game from the stadium,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.
Motera stadium
Motera stadium is now the world's largest cricket stadium and the second largest sports stadium. Situated on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, Motera stadium has a seating capacity of 1,10,000 spectators. In 1982, the Gujarat government donated 100 acres of land on the banks of the Sabarmati river. The proposal of a larger stadium with a larger capacity was initiated by Narendra Modi.
The stadium was rebuilt after demolishing the old one, which was constructed in 1982 with a seating capacity of 49,000 spectators. The stadium that spread across over 64 acres has three entrances. It has 76 air-conditioned corporate boxes with a seating capacity of 25 each. An Olympic-size swimming pool and four dressing rooms, a parking area that can accommodate around 3,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers.
The construction of the new stadium was completed in two years at an estimated cost of £70 million. The stadium also has a club house with 55 rooms, gymnasium, indoor practice pitches and food courts. The stadium has no flood lights instead LED lights are being installed on roof. The old Motera stadium was one of the venues for the 2006 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy and it has always been a venue whenever India hosted ICC World Cup. Motera stadium hosted the iconic event addressing US President Donald Trump, "Namaste Trump"
'Namaste Trump’ event
The “Namaste Trump' event was held on February 21, 2020. Trump and PM Modi addressed the people in the stadium after taking part in a roadshow. The event had been named ‘Namaste Trump’ on the lines of the ‘Howdy, Modi’ programme organised in the US last year
