At cricket arena ''man of match'' Trump strikes chord with crowd

The renovated Motera stadium here is yet to host its first cricket match but on Monday the

sprawling facility became the site of a public spectacle where US President Donald Trump showered encomiums on India and

Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid a rather delirious crowd. The jam-packed arena, also known as Sardar Patel

Stadium, frequently broke into applause as people displayed enthusiasm for the first visit by any US president to the home

state of Modi. Trumps praise for India, his denouncing of the menace

of terrorism and his try at Hindi during his over 25-minute- long speech was well received by people and punctuated by

constant clapping by the nearly 1.25 lakh-strong crowd. People were pleased when Trump praised Modi,

remembering his humble background as a "chaiwala" (tea seller) and his inspiring journey to the office of Prime Minister.

Though Modi and Trump's address for 'Namaste Trump' event was scheduled to start after 1.30 pm, people from across

Gujarat started arriving at the world's biggest cricket stadium since 8 am.

Though placards and flags were not allowed to be taken inside the stadium located in the Motera area, people were

seen wearing masks of Trump and Modi. There was a continuous stream of people towards the

stadium since the morning as parking areas for vehicles was kept some distance away from the stadium.

For security reasons, each invitee was given a personal invitation and police conducted their background

checks. Bollywood singer Kailash Kher and local Gujarati

singers entertained the audience for a couple of hours before Trump and Modi reached the stadium, which has the capacity to

accommodate 1.10 lakh people. Gujarati singers like Kirtidan Gadhvi, Geeta Rabari

and Kinjal Dave also entertained the audience for over two hours.

Teachers and principals of government schools were roped in for management of the crowd, who ensured the people

occupied their allotted seat. The invited guests also included Non Resident

Indians and businesspersons. For security reasons, no one was allowed to carry any

banner or flag inside the renovated arena. Though the audience was enthusiastic to see and

hear both the leaders, sweltering heat forced some of them to leave even before Trump ended his speech as guests were

sitting in the open stadium since morning. The stadium, owned by the Gujarat Cricket

Association, has been rebuilt after demolishing the old one, which was built in 1982 and had a seating capacity of 49,000.

The entire stadium complex is spread across over 64 acres and has a club house and an Olympic-size swimming pool.

The construction of the new stadium was completed in two years with an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore.