World’s biggest cricket field, popularly known as Motera Stadium, in Ahmedabad, was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday. It has been renamed from Sardar Patel Stadium to Narendra Modi Stadium. The renaming of the arena was left hidden until after it was officially introduced. 

The Narendra Modi Stadium, the biggest cricket ground ever constructed, will have its first global match on Wednesday when India will take on England in the Day-Night Test. The cricket stadium will be a part of the arranged Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave in the city.

“This stadium was conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. He was president of the Gujarat Cricket Association at that time,” President Kovind said as he addressed the nation after the event.

Home Minister Amit Shah and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, alongwith the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, were also an eminent part of the inauguration event. “It will not be fair for me to talk about the stadium and not discuss our Prime Minister Narendra Bhai Modi’s long term vision about sports,” exclaimed Amit Shah while expressing his views.

Not long after President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the structure, the social web overflowed with comments including by certain heads of the Congress and other resistance groups who affirmed that the renaming exercise added up to an “affront” to Sardar Patel. Getting some information about the charges, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, nonetheless, told columnists that only the Motera Stadium has been renamed and the complex would still be named after Vallabhbhai Patel.

“Not just for cricket but it’s a proud moment for India. Besides being the largest cricket stadium, it’s also one of the most modern stadiums in the world,” Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju added as he took pride in the fact that India achieved yet another milestone in the field of sports.