FACTS

Venue Description

Established in 1883, the Feroz Shah Kotla – run by the politicised Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) – has witnessed a number of feats, most notably Anil Kumble’s 10 in an innings against Pakistan.

The Kotla staged its first Test in the 1948-49 season when the mighty West Indies under John Goddard took on India for a five Test series and the ground has produced some really good performances. In the 1952 Test against Pakistan, Hemu Adhikari and Ghulam Ahmed were involved in a record tenth wicket stand of 109 runs – a record that still stands. In 1965, S Venkataraghavan, in his debut series, demolished the New Zealand line up with figures of 8 for 72 and 4 for 80. In 1969-70, Bedi and Prasanna combined to spin India to a famous seven wicket win over Australia, the duo picking 18 wickets between themselves.

England’s John Lever had a memorable debut at the Kotla in 1976, when he notched up a half-century and had match figures of 10 for 70. Five years later, Geoff Boycott surpassed Gary Sobers’ world record Test aggregate. In 1983-84, Sunil Gavaskar scored his 29th century to equal Don Bradman’s long standing record for the highest number of hundreds in Test cricket. In 2005-06, at the same ground, Sachin Tendulkar broke Gavaskar’s record of most centuries with his 35th Test century.

However, the Kotla’s future as an international venue hangs in the balance when, in December 2009, an ODI between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch.

STATS – T20I