Sardar Patel Stadium is an impressive structure which can accommodate about 54,000 spectators. It is located at the outskirts of Ahmedabad at the bank of river Sabarmati. The stadium was built on a 50-acre land donated by the State Government and took only nine months to be completed in the year 1982.
The stadium is popularly known as Motera stadium. It is owned by Gujarat Cricket Association and comes under the sponsorship of the West Zone. It is equipped with floodlights for day-and-night games and is a regular venue for Test cricket and One Day Internationals (ODI) matches. It is presently undergoing redevelopment after being razed completely in late 2015.
History of Sardar Patel Stadium
The stadium is previously known as the Gujarat Stadium, the ground was renamed in tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The construction of the Sardar Patel Stadium was carried out in a period of nine months. Since then all International cricket games for the city are hosted here. Later in the 1984–85 Australia-India series, Sardar Patel Stadium hosted its first One Day International, one in which Australia beat the Indians. Kapil Dev claimed his 432nd Test wicket seven years later on this ground to become the highest wicket taker in the world.
Before Kapil Dev became the highest wicket taker, Kapil Dev made a nine-wicket haul in his career here at the Motera ground. The ground hosted a low-scoring Test match against South Africa in 1996. Sachin Tendulkar became the first-ever cricketer to score 18,000 runs in One day cricket in a match against Australia during 2011 Cricket World Cup. The stadium was one of the places for the 2006 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, with five of the 15 games being played here. It has hosted one game in each of the two Cricket World Cups that were played in the country. As of 19th August, 2017 it has hosted 12 Tests, 23 ODIs and 1 T20I.
Development of Sardar Patel Stadium
The stadium was demolished to allow for a big scale renovation in October 2015. On 16th January foundation stone lying was held by Gujarat Cricket Association and work started on the ground. The preliminary designs also show 3 practice grounds located adjacent to the main site. It has been hinted that the name of the stadium may change upon its completion. In December 2016, the construction work of the stadium was handed over to the construction company Larsen and Toubro Limited.
Records Made in Sardar Patel Stadium
Several records are made in Sardar Patel Stadium and these are as follows:
Test match records:
•Total Highest innings: Sri Lanka 760/7, India v Sri Lanka, 2nd innings, 16th November 2009
•Total Lowest innings: India 76, India v South Africa, 1 innings, 3rd April 2008
•Highest individual score: Mahela Jayawardene 275, Sri Lanka v India, 16th November 2009
•Best bowling: Kapil Dev 83/9, India v West Indies, 12th November 1983
•Most runs: Rahul Dravid (India) 771 Runs, Sachin Tendulkar 642 runs, VVS Laxman 574 runs
•Most wickets: Anil Kumble (India) 36 Wickets, Harbhajan Singh- 29 wickets, Kapil Dev 14 wickets
One Day International match records:
•Highest total: South Africa 365/2, India vs South Africa, 1st innings, 27th February 2010
•Lowest total: Zimbabwe 85, Zimbabwe vs West Indies, 1st innings, 8th October 2006
•Highest individual score: Sourav Ganguly 144, India v Zimbabwe, 5th December 2000
•Best bowling: Mitchell Johnson 4/19, Australia v Zimbabwe, 21st February 2011
•Most runs: Rahul Dravid (India) 342 Runs, Chris Gayle 316 runs, Sachin Tendulkar 215 runs
•Most wickets: Kapil Dev (India) 10 Wickets, Lasith Malinga 7 wickets, Chris Gayle- 6 wickets
Apart from cricket, Sardar Patel Stadium has played host to a number of programs arranged by the Government of Gujarat.
