MA Chidabaram Stadium: Venue
Accornding to Cricbuzz Report,MA Chidambaram Stadium,Previously known as the Madras Cricket Club Ground, this historic venue was established in 1916, making it India’s oldest continuously used cricket ground. It’s popularly referred to as Chepauk, named after the neighborhood it’s located in.
| Capacity | 50000 |
| Known as | Chepauk: Madras Cricket Club Ground |
| Ends | Anna Pavilion End, V Pattabhiraman Gate End |
| Location | Chennai, India |
| Time Zone | UTC +05:30 |
| Home to | Tamil Nadu, Chennai Super Kings |
| Floodlights | Yes |
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 matches scheduled at MA Chidambaram stadium
| 08:30 GMT | BAN vs NZ, 11th Match |
| 08:30 GMT | NZ vs AFG, 16th Match |
| 08:30 GMT | PAK vs AFG, 22nd Match |
| 08:30 GMT | PAK vs RSA, 26th Match |
MA Chidabaram Stadium ( Chepauk)
Since 2008, Chepauk has been the home ground for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. This stadium has a rich cricketing history, having hosted its first international game back in 1934 – a Test match between India and England, which the visitors won by 202 runs. Over the years, Chepauk has undergone significant changes, including the installation of floodlights in 1996 and a major reconstruction in 2009 to enhance seating capacity and provide state-of-the-art facilities.
One of the most captivating aspects of this venue is its crowd support. The Chepauk crowd is renowned for its impartiality and cricket knowledge. It’s a place where outstanding performances by both home and visiting teams are celebrated. For instance, Saeed Anwar received a standing ovation when he made a record-breaking 194, and even when Pakistan won a Test match here in 1999, they received warm appreciation from the crowd, taking a lap of honor around the ground.
MA Chidabaram Stadium: Pitch Characterstics
In its early days when pitches were uncovered and exposed to the elements, the surface at Chepauk favored fast bowlers. However, a significant shift occurred when India started fielding their legendary spin quartet – Bishan Singh Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar, S Venkatraghavan, and EAS Prasanna. Since then, the wickets have been tailored to assist spinners. Looking at the statistics, it’s evident that spinners dominate the Chepauk wicket.
Among the top 10 wicket-takers at this ground, nine of them are spinners, with Kapil Dev being the sole fast bowler on the list. Anil Kumble leads the chart with 48 wickets, closely followed by Harbhajan Singh with 42 wickets.
ODI’s Stats,MA Chidambaram Stadium
| Total matches | 36 |
| Matches won batting first | 17 |
| Matches won bowling first | 18 |
| Average 1st Inns scores | 224 |
| Average 2nd Inns scores | 206 |
Notable Facts About MA Chidabaram Stadium
The first-ever Ranji Trophy match was played at this iconic venue, with Madras’ AG Ram Singh delivering a remarkable performance, taking 11 wickets in the match against Mysore.For a long time, Chepauk was the stage for the famous Pongal (Harvest) Test, typically played in the month of January.This is where India secured its first-ever Test victory when they defeated England by an innings and 8 runs.
Chepauk witnessed the second tied Test in cricket history, a thrilling match between India and Australia in 1986.Saeed Anwar’s memorable 194 in an ODI at this ground remained a record for more than a decade until Sachin Tendulkar’s historic 200 against South Africa.Sunil Gavaskar achieved his 30th Test century here, surpassing Don Bradman’s record of 29 Test hundreds.The venue also saw one of Sachin Tendulkar’s greatest Test innings, where he battled back spasms while scoring 136 against Pakistan in 1999, although it wasn’t enough to secure a victory for India as their arch-rivals won by 12 runs.