Why Kanpur stadium was named & renamed as Green Park? The story of IND vs NZ 1st Test venue

Team India will have their heads held high as the ‘Men in Blue’ whitewashed New Zealand in the T20I series. Rohit Sharma’s men dominated New Zealand on all fronts to exact revenge after their T20 World Cup defeat. The attention now turns to red-ball cricket as the Green Park stadium in Kanpur gears up for its first Test match after more than half a decade starting on November 25.

The big stadium measuring 21 acres, 2 roofs and 2 posts, is situated on the banks of river Ganga. In the 19th century, it was used as a pre and post-mutiny (1857) parade ground. Many British officials part of the industry formed a Sports Club and used the venue for cricket, football, hockey and other games. The first unofficial Test took place in 1949-50 between Commonwealth Team and India.

There is an interesting story that surrounds the name of the stadium. ‘Green Park’ was named after a British lady ‘Madam Green’ who used to visit the surroundings for horse riding. Situated on the banks of river Ganga, the city had a great ambiance for horse riding and in the pre-independence era, Britishers would often visit the locality for horse riding.

But during the 1950s Green Park was renamed the ‘Modi Stadium’. It was renamed in honor of the first governor of Uttar Pradesh Sir Hormasji Pherozeshah Modi. However, the stadium was renamed to its previous name Green Park in 1954 as JK Group took over the stadium administration from the government.

The stadium in Kanpur houses the largest manually operated scoreboard in the world. It has also witnessed some of the most historic events in Indian cricket. India’s first-ever Test win against Australia in 1959 came in Green Park stadium. In its entire history, India has lost only twice at the venue as West Indies remain the only team to beat India in this part of the world.

When it comes to New Zealand’s record at the iconic venue, they have failed to register a win in three matches. They have lost their last two visits to Green Park while the only time they avoided defeat was in 1976. The draw prevented India from completing a whitewash on that occasion as they won the three-match series by 2-0.