Stadiums are the bodies in which the heart of a sport beats. They provide fans the opportunity to come together and watch a game of cricket live. The joy of being in a stadium during a game along with other passionate fans is unparalleled.
However, if you aren’t at a stadium and still want to add thrill and excitement to the game, you can explore Indian cricket betting sites. Some of these stadiums witness such an engrossing contest or behold such a historic event that they become preservers of history. Let’s take a look at some of the stadiums in India that have attained iconic status.
Embed from Getty Images- Eden Gardens, Kolkata: Built way back in 1864, it is the oldest cricket stadium in India. The stadium hosted its first-ever Test match in 1934, between India and England. It currently has a capacity of around 66,000, however, before being renovated for the 2011 World Cup, it could house close to a lakh people. The spectators of this stadium are known to wear their passion on their sleeves and have seen many memorable battles. It was here that India scripted one of the finest come-from-the-behind victories in 2001 in the history of cricket by defeating Australia after being asked to follow on.
- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai: The famous helicopter shot that Dhoni played to help India win the World Cup in 2011 was played at this very stadium. It was built in 1974 and has a seating capacity of around 32,000. The first Test match played at this venue was between India and West Indies in the 1974-75 season. The stadium has witnessed many memorable events, from Ravi Shastri’s six sixes in a Ranji Trophy game to Sachin Tendulkar’s heart-warming farewell speech after his last international game. Recently, the MCA installed a statue of Tendulkar at the venue.
- M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru: The stadium has a seating capacity of 40,000 and was built in 1969. It was also one of the venues where West Indies played a Test on the 1974-75 tour – the first game played here. The stadium has witnessed one of the finest innings played by the original little master, Sunil Gavaskar – 96 against Pakistan on a turning track. Although India went on to lose that Test, they scripted a memorable win against their arch-rivals at this venue when the two teams clashed in the quarter-final of the 1996 World Cup.
- Feroze Shah Kotla, Delhi: The venue is also known as Arun Jaitley Stadium. It was established in 1883 and has a seating capacity of 55,000. The first Test played here was when West Indies toured India in the 1948-49 season. The stadium is most famously known for Anil Kumble’s magical feat of picking all ten wickets in an innings – a feat he achieved in 1999 against Pakistan. It’s also interesting to note that it was here that Sunil Gavaskar equalled Don Bradman’s record of the most number of Test centuries, which was later broken by Sachin Tendulkar at this very venue.
- M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai: Chepauk, as this stadium is famously known, was established in 1916. After Eden Gardens, it is the oldest stadium in the country. It hosted its first Test between India and England in 1933-34. The stadium also boasts of hosting the first Ranji Trophy game. India registered its first-ever victory in Tests at this venue. If Gavaskar had equalled Bradman’s record of the most number of centuries in Tests at Feroze Shah Kotla, it was here that he surpassed it. Chepauk also prides itself in housing the most neutral fans in the country.
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