The Sardar Patel Stadium is a relatively recent addition to the Indian premier cricket stadium club. Situated in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, it was built in 1982 and holds a 54,000 seating capacity. An interesting landmark of the stadium is a deeply menacing giant bull at the entrance, constructed out of swirling iron rods. The stadium has seen several cricketing milestones including Gavaskar's 10,000th run and Tendulkar's first double century in a Test match.
Ahmedabad, the booming capital of Gujarat, is non-alcoholic and intensely vegetarian. You can while away the hours before the match by spending some leisure time in any one of the 76 gardens and parks that dot the city. For lunch or dinner, be sure to experience the authentic Gujarti thali, a veggie's delight of roti, dal, rice and curry. The city's denizens are also famous for their love of ice-cream so you may as well join them in enjoying a cold treat as ice-cream parlours are never in short supply.
As a visitor to Ahmedabad, you should pay a visit to the Sabarmati Ashram. This was a home of Mahatma Gandhi and the legendary 'Dandi March' began here in 1930. The residence has been converted to a museum in the Mahatma's honour.
The city is also famous for its retail industry. If generic malls are not your thing, dive into a world of handicraft. You can get items like embroidered garments, dyed materials, Mojri footwear and amazing religious icons and statues in the city.
A casual stroll can also prove interesting since the city is dotted with Islamic Hindu fusion and Victorian architecture.
Text: Vinayak Hegde (with inputs from agencies)
Images: AP/AFP
Full Coverage: World Cup 2011
