Top five cricket grounds in India

2. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

With a capacity of 45,000, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was built as the result of a dispute between the Cricket Club of India (that owns the Brabourne Stadium) and the Mumbai Cricket Association over the allocation of tickets for matches. With the support of Shri S K Wankhede, a politician and the MCA secretary, this new stadium was erected near the famous Churchgate station – just in time for the final Test between India and the West Indies in 1975.

Swing bowlers have revelled on this ground – especially in the earlier part of the day. Interestingly, red soil has been used to prepare the pitch, thus ensuring consistent bounce. Spinners have also had a fair amount of success – the 2004 Test between India and Australia ended within three days due to the crumbling wicket, resulting in an Indian win. With batsmen also joining the party, this pitch has proven to be a true cricketing track.

Famous cricketing deeds at the ground include Ravi Shastri’s six sixes off Tilak Raj in the Ranji Trophy, the 2011 World Cup final which India won by six wickets, Vinod Kambli’s 224 against England in the 1992-93 Test and many more. It has been designated as the home ground for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

1. Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Widely acknowledged as the most iconic of all the stadia in India, the Eden Gardens is the largest cricket ground in the country and the third-largest in the world in terms of capacity. It is the home of both the Bengal cricket team and the 2012 IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders.

Established in 1864, the stadium has undergone many renovations in order to achieve its current seating capacity of 66,349 – slightly less than its estimated 100,000. It is known for its large and very vocal crowds – as Sunil Gavaskar found to his cost, and never played there again.

The 1996 World Cup semi-final also witnessed crowd disturbances, forcing match referee Clive Lloyd to award the game to Sri Lanka by default, and a similar scene occurred when Shoaib Akhtar apparently blocked Sachin Tendulkar from reaching the other end during a Test match, resulting in his run-out.

However, the ground has also witnessed one of the greatest turnarounds in Test history – when VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid forged an unbroken 376-run alliance, batting all day to deny Australia their record 17th win, eventually winning the series 2-1 in 2001. Harbhajan Singh, who took 32 wickets in that series, considers it to be his happiest hunting ground, while Kapil Dev took an ODI hat-trick against the Sri Lankans in 1991.

Australia secured their first World Cup win on this ground, and both Laxman and Azharuddin have scored five centuries each here – just another glimpse of the iconic stature of this stadium.