The 5 Test venues for the India-England Series – A refresher

Chennai

Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium has been India’s stronghold

The venue of the 5^th Test between India and England, the MA Chidambaram Stadium, probably boasts of the most knowledgeable cricket crowd in India. The venue hasn’t hosted any Tests in 3 years surprisingly, and it would be a welcome return to one of the game’s power-centres in India. The long history of the stadium dates back to 1934 when England defeated India in the inaugural game.

However, the ground, one of Sachin Tendulkar’s luckiest and most hallowed grounds, has been India’s bastion for a while now.

The last defeat at Chennai came in 1999, in ‘that heart-breaking match’ when Sachin battling back pain almost took India to an unlikely victory, only for the team to be thwarted by Pakistan which eventually won by 12 runs. Since then, India has won 4 and drawn three Tests. Overall, India has a 13-6 record at the stadium. The hallowed ground also boasts of hosting one of only two tied Tests in Test match cricket history. The famous tied Test witnessed India almost making it to an improbable target of 348, falling a run short.

The ground remodelled in recent times to allow more breeze into the stadium is the home ground for Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s most successful bowler over the last couple of years. Ashwin will fondly remember his 7-wicket haul in the last Test played here, against Australia. Virat Kohli had scored a century in partnership with Dhoni, who scored a double century in the same game.