Cricket Stadiums in India
Unarguably, cricket is the most loved sports in India. No matter which state or city you belong to, cricket is played in the smallest of regions across the nation. Such is the love for the game, so much so that every year we see a number of cricketers unleash their cricketing prowess at the biggest of stages.
With the rising involvement in the sport, the stadiums tally has also been on a rise. From Dharamshala stadium in Himachal Pradesh to Baraspara stadium in Assam, from Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Hyderabad to Chinnaswammy in Chennai to Sardar Patel Stadium in Gujarat, India has been blessed with a number of cricket stadiums, spread all around the country.
In this article we look at 10 prominent cricket stadiums in India:
1. Eden Gardens (Year-1864)
Known as the Mecca of Indian cricket, Eden Gardens is the oldest cricket stadium in India and the third largest in the world. The Indian cricket stadium was built in the year 1864 and has a seating capacity of 80,000 people. Counted as one of the most iconic cricket stadiums in the world, Eden Garden has played host to a number of memorable matches.
A venue for all three formats of the game, Eden Gardens has hosted matches in the game’s most prominent events like World Cup, World T20 and Asia Cup.
2. M.A. Chidambaram Stadium (Year-1916)
The home ground of Chennai Super Kings, MA Chidambaram Stadium holds a different level of fan base. M.A Chidambaram is the second oldest cricket stadium in India after Eden Gardens and was built in the year 1916.
Located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, the ground was earlier known as Madras Cricket Club. The Stadium is recognized for hosting the first ever Ranji Trophy match in 1936. India’s first ever test victory against England in 1952 also came at this particular ground.
Notable Events Happened at M.A Chidambaram Stadium:
- Among all Indian grounds, Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most number of runs here. He has scored 876 runs in nine tests at an average of 87.60.
- Former Indian skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni registered his highest score in Test Ground at this very ground. He scored 224 runs against Australia in 2013 and with that also became the first Indian wicket-keeper batsman to score a double hundred in Test cricket.
- M.A. Chidambaram also hosted the second-ever tied test game in cricket history between India and Australia in 1986.
3. Arun Jaitley Stadium (Year-1883)
Located in the capital city of India, Arun Jaitley is counted as one the iconic cricket stadiums in India. Formerly named as Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, the stadium has recently changed its name to Arun Jaitley Stadium after the demise of the former on 24th August, 2019.
Ever since the stadium has been built in 1883, it has been proved to be a happy hunting ground for team India.
Anil Kumble made an all-time record after picking 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan at this cricket stadium, while legendary batsman, Sunil Gavaskar equalled Don Bradman’s tally of 29 centuries here.
4. Green Park Stadium (Year-1957)
A batting paradise, Green Park Stadium is one of the most prominent stadiums in the country. One of the oldest cricket stadiums in India, Green Park has a seating capacity of close to 40,000 people.
NOTABLE EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED AT GREEN PARK STADIUM:
- Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly recorded his second-best bowling figures in his International cricket, picking five wickets against Zimbabwe.
- India have lost only on two occasions at this ground since 1957. Both the defeats came against West Indies.
- Kapil Dev has picked the most number of wickets here i.e., 25, followed by Anil Kumble (21) and Harbhajan Singh (20).
5. Chinnaswamy Stadium (Year-1969)
Having a reputation of producing high scoring totals, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is a batting paradise. Home ground of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chinnawamy was built in 1969. The first test match played here was between India and West Indies between November 22 and November 27, 1974. The Indian cricket ground has a seating capacity of close to 40,000 people.
RECORDS AT M.CHINNASWAMY:
- Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most numbers of runs at M. Chinnaswamy stadium. He has amassed 869 runs in 16 innings, followed by Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly.
- Anil Kumble has the most number of wickets with a tally of 41 scalps to his name, while Harbhajan Singh is at second with 30 wickets.
- Harbhajan Singh possesses the best bowling figures at Chinnaswamy, having picked 11/224 against England in 2004.
6. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Year-1974)
Built in 1974, Wankhede Stadium lists among the most prominent cricket stadiums in India. The first test match at Wankhede stadium was played between India and West Indies in 1975.
It’s the same ground where India beat Sri Lanka in the final to win the 2011 World Cup. A picturesque venue, Wankhede now has a seating capacity of close to 34,000 people.
RECORDS AT WANKHEDE STADIUM:
- Anil Kumble holds the most number of test wickets (38) at this very ground.
- Sunil Gavaskar has scored the most runs (1122) in test matches played at this ground, while Sachin Tendulkar has most ODI runs (455)
- Venkatesh Prasad has the most ODI wickets (15), followed by Anil Kumble (12) and Harbhajan Singh (9).
7. Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium (Year-1993)
With the ground having a history of favouring fast bowlers, IS Bindra Stadiums presents a great cricket venue among all cricket stadiums in India. Built in 1993, IS Bindra Stadium holds a seating capacity of close to 30,000 spectators.
The Indian cricket stadium is home to Punjab team in Kings XI Punjab of Indian Premier League.
RECORDS AT IS BINDRA STADIUM:
- Sachin Tendulkar tops the list for most test runs (767) at this ground, followed by Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag.
- Anil Kumble has most test wickets, i.e., 36.
- Rohit Sharma holds the record for the highest individual score of 208.
- Harbhajan Singh has the most ODI wickets (11), while Rohit Sharma has scored the most ODI runs (410).
8. Sardar Patel Stadium (Year-1983)
Having been built in 1983, the stadium underwent reconstruction in 2006 only to become the world’s largest cricket stadium in the world and second-largest stadium in the world overall. The process of reconstructing the stadium took several years and costed around Rs. 800 crores and now holds a seating capacity of 1,10,000 spectators.
The Indian cricket stadium hosted several World Cup games besides played host in 12 tests, 23 ODIs and 1 T20I.
RECORDS AT MOTERA STADIUM:
- Rahul Dravid has most test runs (771), while Chris Gayle is the leading run getter (316) in ODIs.
- Kapil Dev has the most number of wickets (10) in ODIs and Anil Kumble has most wickets (36) in Tests.
9. Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad (Year-2003)
Located in the eastern suburb of the Hyderabad city, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, can seat a total of 55,000 spectators. The Indian cricket stadium was earlier known as Visakha International Cricket Stadium and had smaller area which later went on to be widened. Operated by the Hyderabad Cricket Association, the stadium is a go-to venue for Indian Premier League matches.
A Look at the Record-holders at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium:
Yuvraj Singh has the most runs (233) scored at this scored, while Sachin Tendulkar has the highest individual score at this ground. He made 175 runs against Australia in 2007.
10. Holkar Stadium (Year-1990)
Formerly known as Maharani Usharaje Trust Ground, the Holkar stadium is considered as one of the smallest grounds in the world in terms of field size to have hosted international cricket. Established in the yaer 1990 and operated by the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, the stadium has a seating capacity for 30,000 spectators. The Indian cricket stadium is mostly utilised for hosting Ranji Trophy matches but has also been witnessed hosting few international matches as well.
