7 Best grounds for batting

#2) Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground

Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground

The Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground is likely the best ground for batsmen in India. The venue has only ever hosted 14 ODIs and nine Tests, but the statistics from these games are remarkable.

In Tests, the average runs per wicket is 37.28 and in ODIs it is 36.57, higher than any ground that has hosted as many matches. But perhaps even more impressive, the average runs per over at the ground in ODIs is an incredibly high 5.71. It is therefore no surprise that in 1999 the BCCI recommended the pitch be relaid.

However, this wasn't so effective as the following year Zimbabwe and India played out an incredibly high-scoring draw that included double-centuries from both Sachin Tendulkar and Andy Flower. This was by no means the only time Tendulkar found success at the VCA Ground. In six Tests there, he has scored 679 runs at an average of 97 and holds three of the four highest scores at the ground. Perhaps a more surprising statistic is that Anil Kumble averaged 71, scoring three half-centuries there.

The ground, which saw its last international game in 2007, has also seen a few stunning ODI innings. The very first ODI it hosted saw a game-changing 41-ball 54 from Kapil Dev. This was back in 1985 as India were struggling to chase down England's 240. They needed something special and Kapil Dev provided it with an innings that included four sixes and three fours. India would reach their target with 14 balls to spare.

About three years later, he would almost pull off an even bigger batting miracle. This was a rare low-scoring game at the ground. India restricted a strong West Indies side to just 203. But as India fell to 5/31, Dev showed the ground had something to offer batsmen, blasting 87 from just 64 deliveries. Balfour Patterson's 6/29 would ensure India still fell 10 runs short.

Perhaps the ODI that best surmises how batsmen have thrived at the ground is the 2007 ODI between India and West Indies. The visitors would fall 14 runs short of victory despite Shivnarine Chanderpaul scoring a fantastic 149. This was because India had batted well to reach 338 with Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni tearing the West Indies bowlers apart in the final ten overs of their innings.