Watch: Team India shares thoughts on playing pink-ball Test at Motera Stadium
The Indian cricketers are training hard ahead of the pink-ball Test at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, which will begin on February 24. With a seating capacity of 110,000, Motera Stadium is the largest cricket stadium in the world.
The four-match Test series is tied 1-1, with England clinching the first Test in Chennai by 227 runs and India hitting back with a 317-run triumph at the same venue in the second Test.
In a video shared on BCCI’s website, Indian cricketers shared their experience of practising at the huge stadium in Motera ahead of the pink-ball Test, and also using the state-of-the-art gym.
Describing the feeling as surreal, all-rounder Hardik Pandya said the team is looking forward to playing in front of fans during the pink-ball Test.
“We actually can’t wait to have the fans around in the largest stadium in the world and see the atmosphere. It will be tremendous. All the boys loved it (the stadium). It took around one hour for us to get used to the size of the ground. The kind of facilities being provided, I feel really proud that we have this in India, where we can host so many people and have wonderful games here,” he stated.
On having a gym connected to the dressing room, Pandya added:
“Fantastic. For the first time I am seeing a dressing room having a gym connected, which is a great thing. We can’t wait to come back here again and again, to play.”
Looking forward to play our first pink-ball Test at Motera: Cheteshwar Pujara
India’s No. 3 batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who plays domestic cricket for Saurashtra, said that everything about the stadium, including the gym, is amazing.
“It’s an amazing feeling. It’s a huge stadium. We all are looking forward to playing our first pink-ball Test at Motera. It’s an amazing ground with a big dressing room. It is quite spacious and we are enjoying the facilities out here. The gym is next to the dressing room so it’s very useful for guys who want to train in between games or whenever there is time. Gym is excellent. It is spacious. We did our first gym session here today and we had a good time,” he revealed.
Opener Mayank Agarwal, who is yet to play a match in the Test series, mentioned that the team has never played at such a wonderful ground before. Expressing his feelings, Agarwal said:
“To enter Motera and see the stands in the way it has been built, it’s fantastic. It’s a massive ground. Never before have we played at such a ground. It feels great. Haven't seen state-of-the-art gym facilities like this. It was a pleasure training here.”
Shubman Gill, one of India’s promising young talents, added that having the world’s biggest cricket stadium in India is a proud moment for everyone.
Not just the Indians but their English counterparts too were overwhelmed by the splendor of the Motera Stadium. Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes, among others, took to social media to praise the facilities at the venue.