Eden Gardens

Eden Gardens situated in Kolkata is the oldest cricket ground in India. The present Eden Gardens Cricket Club came in existence some time in the year 1864. It has been called the Lord's of Asia.The stadium is the one of the largest cricketing facilities in the world, along with the MCG.

The first ever first-class match to be played here was in 1917-18, while the first Test match was against Douglas Jardine's MCC in January 1934. Since then the ground has hosted 35 Test matches more than any other venue in India, the last match to date being India vs Pakistan on 30th November 2007, where the match was a draw on a flat pitch [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/14/949_t.html Test Matches played at Eden Gardens - Cricket Archive] . In February 1987, the stadium hosted its first One day international match — against Pakistan. A total of 21 One day international have been played at the venue. [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/14/949_o.html One-Day International Matches played on Eden Gardens]

As a part of modernization of the stadium during the 1987 World Cup, where the final match was held, covered stands were built all around, with a modern Club House and pavilion. The Club House now houses the offices of the Cricket Association of Bengal. In November 1993, a five-nation tournament was played in India to celebrate the CAB Diamond Jubilee, where day-night One Day International matches were played at this ground, thanks to the installation of four gigantic floodlight towers.

On 13 November 2004 India and Pakistan played a One Day International to celebrate BCCI Platinum Jubilee.The latest One Day International(ODI) match held at this ground was on the 8th of February,2007 between India and Sri Lanka - the series-opener of the Hero Honda Cup.The match was ultimately called off due to rain.

The pitch at Eden Gardens has traditionally been on the slower side and good for batting, assisting spin bowlers very early.

Ground Facts and Figures

*Floodlights : Yes
*End names : High Court End, Club House End
*Home team(s) : Bengal, India, Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL)
*Capacity : 90,000 [ [http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/content/ground/57980.html Cricinfo Page on Eden Gardens] ] (after renovation, earlier the capacity was 120,000). Joint 22nd with Wembley Stadium in the list of largest stadiums. Also the second largest stadium in India.
*Curator : Kalyan Mitra
*Harbhajan Singh took a hat trick against the Australians in 2000/01 at the ground becoming the first Indian to do so in Test cricket
*VVS Laxman's historic 281 against the Australians in 2000/01 is the highest score at the ground.

External links

* [http://www.cricketweb.net/country/venue.php?CategoryIDAuto=12&VenueIDAuto=26 CricketWeb page on Eden Gardens]
* [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/14/949.html CricketArchive statistics for Eden gardens]
* [http://cricketclub.org/india_venue.html CricketClub.org page on Eden Gardens]
* [http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1151476 Lease Renewal Plea by CAB from DNAIndia news report]

References

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