New Delhi: The world-class Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi will now be renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium in the memory of its former president who passed away on Saturday, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) announced on Tuesday.
Arun Jaitley served as the president of the DDCA for 13-years from 1999 to 2013. However, his long legacy here received more criticism than compliments.
What set him apart from others was his enthusiasm for cricket. He was known to be a keen follower of the sport and liked being updated about the performance of the players – even the fresh talents. While he kept a low profile, his time at the helm of DDCA saw the amenities at Feroz Shah Kotla upgraded to a world-class standard, earning him the admiration of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
He had many admirers among the DDCA circles, be it his successor Chetan Chauhan or former India openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, who came out in strong opposition to the many allegations heaped on him.
His long legacy will now be ironclad at Feroz Shah Kotla.
The renaming will take place on September 12. Home Minister Amit Shah and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju will grace the function in which a stand at the Kotla will also be named after India captain Virat Kohli, as announced earlier.
Speaking on this initiative, DDCA president Rajat Sharma said: "It was Arun Jaitley's support and encouragement that players like Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Rishabh Pant and many others could make India proud."
