Stadiums In India

Delhi Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium

The Ferozshah Kotla stadium in Delhi is the only premier stadium in the region to hold international and domestic cricketing events. Established in the year 1883, the Ferozshah kotla is the 2nd oldest cricketing venue in India which is still under function and is hosting cricket matches on an international level. The ground is named after the emperor Ferozshah Tughlaq. The title of the oldest cricketing grounds in India remains with The Eden gardens which are situated in Kolkata. The stadium mainly has two ends, the stadium end and the pavilion end.

The stadium is owned by the Delhi district cricket association. Situated at the Bahadur shah Zafar marg, this enthusiastic cricketing venue can boast up to a crowd of 55,000 people. The national team of the country has been on a winning streak in this ground since the past 20 years. The venue has hosted over 30 international test matches and is still capable of hosting many more international test, one day and twenty20 internationals.

History

On 10th November 1948, the ground hosted its first international match. The battle was between India and West Indies. The Feroz shah Kotla was also the venue where Anil Kumble had taken 10 wickets against Pakistan, which is considered as epitome of rivalry in the history of cricket. The ground later also saw the retirement of the ace cricketer who was considered as the master of spin the history of Indian cricket.

The venue of feroz shah kotla was criticized for its pitch and pitch curators when a one day international match between Sri lanka and India was cancelled due to inclement pitch condition and uneven bounce. The venue had to face a ban for a period of 14 months, which was later reduced to 12 months a Feroz shah kotla was one of the grounds where match was played during 2011 ICC world cup. The venue hosted and witnessed 4 games in the 2011 world cup and contributed handsomely as the event was hosted in Asia.

The stadium was very popular in the older times as various records were made and broken by the players. On this ground, Anil Kumble took 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan which is a record.

How To Reach

Reaching The Feroz shah kotla can never be a task for any cricket lover. The venue is located in the central area of Delhi and is very well connected to the Delhi Metro. The delhi metro, which is also called the connector makes This historic venue accessible from areas like Gurgaon and Noida within minutes. The nearest metro station to the ground is Pragati maidan and New Delhi railway station.  The ground is also very near to the very famous ambedkar stadium which is famous for hosting events related to football. In 1883, the land was planned to be a cricket stadium by architect Mr Danish Siddiqui and Naval Khanna. Since then this venue has become a delightful sporting venue for all the cricket lovers around the globe.

There are various events happened on this ground through which this ground was popular and it is till the time. it hosts the games of Delhi Daredevils, which is the home team of Delhi in IPL.

There are multiple of options available with a person through which he can reach to the stadium easily. Introduction of metro is one of the easiest way through which he can reach the stadium on time.

Noted Events At Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium

The ground is also synonymous to many legendary innings and performances. Anil kumble’s 10 wicket spell against Pakistan in the year 1999 was one of the most remembered and special memories of this historic venue. Many cricketers have had amazing records playing on this venue. Cricketers like Sunil gavaskar ,  Geoffrey boycott , Sachin Tendulkar and many more have explored there extraordinary talent at this very venue. In feroz shah kotla, the highest score in a test match is by West Indies (644) in the year 1959. The first century was scored by the West Indian batsman Clyde Walcott on 10th November 1948. Since then many batsmen have shown their talent and caliber at this scintillating venue. The last batsmen to score a century at this venue was Virat Kohli in the year 2011. India has been the most prolific team in the history of this stadium and Dilip vengasarkar holds the record for being the highest run getter. In 1952, when India was playing opposite Pakistan a partnership of 109 runs was established between Ghulam Ahmed and Hemu Adhikari which was the highest 10th wicket partnership. This outstanding record still remains to be unbeaten.  In the year 1965, New Zealand was wrapped up by the Indian bowler S Venkataraghavan, during his entrance series. He destroyed the New Zealand score with outstanding figures of an outstanding 8 wickets for 72 runs. In 1976 Englishman John Lever made a dream debut at Feroz shah kotla , where he made half-century along with amazing bowling  figures of 10 wickets for 70. In 1981, Geoff Boycott broke the record of the highest test aggregate set by Gary sobers. Sunil Gavaskar, one of the greatest batsmen in the Indian cricket history matched Don Bradman’s record of maximum number of 100s in a Test cricket by scoring his 29th test century. In the year 2005-06, Sachin Tendulkar broke the record of Gavaskar of the maximum number of centuries by making the 35th Test century at this historic ground.

Renovation

The Feroz shah Kotla stadium is one of the most preferred venues for day night matches as it has excellent visibility and a very effective floodlight structure. The venue has been equipped with world class facilities and is now the home ground for the Delhi daredevils, which is a very successful franchise in the Indian Premier League. During the IPL, many matches are played at this venue and the ground receives a very warm response from the spectators. Most of the matches are either full house or are difficult to attend as many visitors splurge in to witness the great matches played at this charming venue.

The IPL has given this ground great exposure and a very big platform. The conditions of this ground are loved by many Indian as well as overseas players. The highest score in the Indian premier league and the fastest 100 was scored in this very ground. The ground is very famous for its day and night matches, as the view and atmosphere offered to visitors here justify its popularity and the charm of this ground. The ground, when not in use for international matches is used by the domestic team or other sporting venues. The ground is not accessible to general public without prior permission or authority.  Many efforts were made to make this venue a top class cricket venue and every bit of those efforts is clearly visible when one enters this charismatic sporting venue.

Most of the times, the stadium got damaged because of which the renovation activity was done to improve the condition of this ground and to make it a perfect ground for international matches.

Milestones At Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium

• The highest score was made by West Indies while it was playing against India. The score was 644/8 in the year 1958.
• The lowest score was made by India during 1987-1988 while playing against West Indies.
• Pakistan scored the highest ODI score total of 303 during 2004-05 while playing against India.
• India by far has been the team to win the maximum number of matches in this stadium.

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