SEEKING IMMORTALITY

India look to defend T20 WC title against New Zealand, create history at the venue where they lost ODI WC final

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

AHMEDABAD in 2026 is a constant reminder of the city’s out-sized ambition. Like most Indian places, it’s being hurriedly rebuilt to scale. This one, though, has the added pressure of trying to look like a global city when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) calls time on the 2036 Games bidding process. The Olympic Games has historically been hosted only by capitals or dazzling megalopolis and since Ahmedabad is neither, the challenge is very real.

A stone’s throw away from the airport, there’s the instantly recognisable Olympic rings on a footpath. There’s construction work elsewhere. The Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram redevelopment project has diverted traffic. On Friday, the Standing Committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation cleared developmental works totalling %2500cr. Some of the local papers have reported that it’s roughly 25% of the body’s annual budget.