India renames world’s largest cricket stadium after prime minister Narendra Modi

Stadium was named after independence struggle hero Sardar Patel, but has now undergone a major expansion

Workers install a hoarding renaming the world’s largest cricket stadium after Narendra Modi, even as fans wait to enter before the start of the third Test match between India and England (REUTERS)

India has renamed the world’s largest cricket stadium after its prime minister Narendra Modi, as the arena hosted its first international match since its capacity was doubled to 110,000 seats.

The arena, in Mr Modi’s home state of Gujarat, was previously named after India’s first deputy prime minster Sardar Patel, a hero of the country’s struggle for independence and icon of the National Congress party that is now in opposition.

Indian president Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the arena as the Narendra Modi Stadium shortly before the start of the third Test between India and England, which will be played out in front of a reduced-capacity crowd due to Covid restrictions.

And the name change appears to have caught out the England team, who tweeted that they had “arrived at the Sardar Patel Stadium” an hour and a half before the coin toss.

Speaking alongside the president at the inauguration, Mr Modi’s home minister and right-hand man Amit Shah said that the prime minister “has always said that the Indian youth needs to rise in sports to contribute to the nation”.

In what is perhaps a conciliatory gesture, he also announced that a new hockey stadium would be built alongside the cricket arena and that the complex as a whole, housing “Olympic-level sports facilities”, would retain Sardar Patel’s name.

But opposition Congress figures and critics of the government were unconvinced. Congress party official Gaurav Pandhi called it an example of “narcissism” from the prime minister and “an insult of Sardar Patel and of people of Gujarat [sic]”.

Author and former Congress national spokesman Sanjay Jha said the move was “very disappointing”

“Whoever has advised PM Modi to rename the cricket stadium at Motera (in Ahmedabad city) after him has done him a great disservice. We need to put an end to politicians usurping sports. Sports should celebrate their own superstars and legends.”

Figures from Mr Modi’s right-wing BJP party welcomed the move, with the party’s general secretary for the state Bhupender Yadav calling it a “proud day for Gujarat”.

Priti Gandhi, a social media coordinator for the party, tweeted: “World’s largest stadium dedicated to the world’s largest personality!”

Mr Modi was president of the Gujarat Cricket Association from 2009 until his election as prime minister in 2014, at a time when the stadium in Ahmedabad – built in 1982 – had a capacity of around 50,000. 

It was demolished in 2016 to make way for the new arena, which is now comfortably larger than the next-biggest cricket stadium in the world, the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Construction was completed just in time for Mr Modi to host the then-US president Donald Trump for the “Namaste Trump” political rally in February 2020 - a state visit which was then largely overshadowed by religious riots in the capital Delhi.