Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium (New Delhi)
Built in 1883

One of the oldest cricket stadiums in India, Feroz Shah Kotla was built in 1883. It derives its name from one of the emperors of Delhi, Feroz Shah Tuglaq, who had built a fortress during his rule between 1351 and 1388. The modern stadium is part of the imposing fortress complex. The stadium has the distinction of hosting Independent India’s first Test match against the John Goddard-led West Indies team in 1948-49.

Traditionally known to be a spinners delight, Kotla has witness some memorable performances by spinners. In 1965, S Venkatraghavan had run through the New Zealand batting line-up with splendid figures of 8 for 72 and 4 for 80. In 1999, Anil Kumble emulated Jim Laker’s world record by taking a perfect 10 for 74 against Pakistan.

Currently, the stadium is undergoing renovation. It now boasts of floodlights and all other modern amenities and has a capacity of 40,000. The Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), which manages the stadium, is working on laying brand new pitches, which are believed to aid fast bowlers.

Eden Gardens, Kolkata (Kolkata)
Built 1864

One of the oldest stadia of India, Eden Gardens has been the most revered venue for cricketers around the world. When packed to its full capacity, Eden Gardens is deafened with the roars of close to 1,00,000 passionate fans.

The stadium has hosted 35 Tests and 21 ODIs since 1934 and has been a witness to several glorious moments of cricket.

That miraculous day when India snatched the victory from the jaws of defeat against Australia in 2001 glorified the greatness of the venue even more. VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Harbhajan Singh were the three men who made the Eden Gardens look more beautiful than most stadiums in the world.

The last ODI on this ground was a washed-out affair between India and Sri Lanka in 2007.

The Eden pitch, like most others, has been a little partial towards the batsmen and has produced decent amount of runs. The winter-dew has been a concern among the captains in day-night matches.

Incidentally, only once has a team managed to post a total of over 300 in an ODI and the honour goes to Sri Lanka - they scored 309 against Pakistan in 1997. Two best performers of that match – Sanath Jayasuriya (55 runs) and Muttiah Muralitharan (3 for 40) – are still a part of the visiting team.

Barabati Stadium, Cuttack
Built 1951


The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack has a capacity of about 35,000 spectators. The ground has hosted 15 One-day internationals since 1982 and two Tests since 1987. It’s a beautiful stadium and one of its distinguishing features is its clock tower.

The last ODI at the venue was when India defeated England by six wickets in November, 2008.

The Barabati wicket is often a sporting one, as it offers a good contest between bat and ball. It becomes a good batting track after assisting the fast bowlers in the first hour and also offers good bounce as well.

The dew factor comes into play during the day-night encounters, which explains why the teams chasing totals have won 8 of the 15 ODIs played here.

While the lush-green outfield makes fielding an enjoyable experience, the evening dew on the grass does soften the ball to the batsmen’s liking.

It has been a happy hunting ground for India, as they have won 8 out of the 13 ODIs played here, with one match abandoned due to rain

india srilanka ODI's Venues

Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, VCA Stadium (Nagpur)
Built in 2008


The newly-built stadium at Jamtha has already acquired a reputation of being one of the best in the country.

It boasts of a true wicket, where both batsmen and bowlers can use the conditions to their advantage. The first match that it hosted was the 4th Test between India and Australia (Nov, 2008), which India won by 172 runs. Interestingly, the Aussie spinner Jason Krejza had finished with 12 wickets and Harbhajan Singh with seven.Â

Spread over 33 acres, it has all the modern amenities, including wi-fi environment and a capacity of accommodating 45,000 people.

india and srilanka ODI's venus

Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, Rajkot
Built 1986


Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, Rajkot
Built 1986

The Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground in Rajkot is one of the smallest grounds of India with a seating capacity for merely 15,000 spectators. It has hosted 11 ODIs of which India have played in 10, winning five and losing as many.

The last One-dayer played on this ground was a run-glut, featuring India and Kevin Pietersen’s England team in November 2008. India piled up a huge 387 runs and carved out a massive 158-run victory.

The statistic shows the Rajkot track has been a batting paradise since the last decade.

The tinge of grass generally left on the wicket does assist the seamers in the early part of the day before the sun bakes it into a batting track. The quick outfield also makes life easier for the batsmen.

India have won four of the last five games they have played here, the only loss has come against the Lankans in 2007.

Sehwag the hero

If violence could ever be pleasing to eyes, it can only be on a cricket field. And Virender Sehwag is one of its finest exponents in contemporary cricket.


After giving the first hour to the bowlers, Viru discarded benevolence like a sweaty pair of gloves and plundered the Lankan attack with impunity. © AFP


Forget spectators for a while, some of the former cricketers of distinction were glued to their seats, watching the Nawab of Najafgarh in one of his wonderfully violent mood. One has rarely seen a piece of willow flattening the morale and courage of 11 men so decisively.

Men of cricketing honours, who describe the game to millions of television audiences, had decided to throw their equanimity and poise out of the window for a while; such was the brilliance and audacity of Sehwag’s knock of 293.

“Everyone in the commentary box was just stunned and amazed at what he did. To carry on like that for so long was unbelievable. The audacity and tempo with which he was batting, carving out reverse sweeps and a wide array of shots, was amazing. I don’t think I’ve seen an innings with so much audacity and dare,” said the usually unflappable Ravi Shastri, former India captain.

The sentiments weren’t any different for India’s former leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, “All of us were simply glued to our seats while watching him bat. We commentators were not even talking to each other because something like this doesn’t happen every day. We were all going crazy, watching Sehwag hitting the ball out of the park. We all were at the edge of our seats to find out what’s going to happen next.”

So, was it that the Lankan bowlers decided to bowl all the bad balls of their careers on that day? “No ways! Sehwag made the balls look bad. There were a lot of balls he hit from the good-length area, which was quite incredible,” said Sivaramakrishnan.

Shastri had his very own explanation. “The problem with him is that his bad balls are good balls for other players.” If only that’s a problem.

Muttiah Muralitharan, perhaps the greatest off-spinner of all time, never looked so ordinary for so long. Five spells of 18 overs in a day without a wicket is something that mustn’t have happened to Murali very often. With 788 Test wickets in his kitty, he averages six wickets in a game, but day-two of Mumbai Test was different. On the day, Sehwag’s willow was getting its fuel straight from Tarapur nuclear plant; Murali had no chance

Sloppy India aim to arrest slide Match facts

Match facts


Saturday, December 12
Start time 17.30 (12:00 GMT)


Related Links
Players/Officials: Tillakaratne Dilshan | Yuvraj Singh
Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of India
Teams: India | Sri Lanka


The ICC World Twenty20 win, and the subsequent celebrations that riled Andrew Symonds so, seems like it belonged to another age. Though it set in motion the events that led to the creation of the IPL, India's form in the international arena has been dire. Wednesday's thrashing at Nagpur was their fourth loss in succession, and you have to go back nearly a year to their last victory against a major side. The Pathan brothers, Irfan and Yusuf, denied Sri Lanka then, and it will need similar strength of will from the middle and lower order to ensure that the team's alarming slide in the game's most abbreviated format is arrested.

Sri Lanka snapped a four-game losing streak of their own in the opening game, and would have been delighted with the manner in which they coped despite another Sehwag-Gambhir blitz at the top of the order. Once again, it was an old man, Sanath Jayasuriya, who showed the young 'uns how it's done with a miserly spell that choked all life out of India's charge for victory. Once again, Lasith Malinga and friends will focus on a callow middle order that was embarrassed at the World Twenty20 in England last June. India have shuffled the pack often enough, without finding any real answers.

As worrying was the fielding, or lack of it. We can only speculate as to what Mike Young made of it, with catches spilled, run-out opportunities squandered and a generally lackadaisical approach. Sri Lanka were much sharper in the field, and that made the difference in a game where more than 400 runs were scored.

Watch out for...

Tillakaratne Dilshan: He contributed significantly in Nagpur, without being as destructive as he can be. On a bouncier pitch, he could well showcase the electrifying shot-making ability that thrilled those at The Oval during the World Twenty20 semi-final. His offspin could also have a part to play.

Yuvraj Singh: He will celebrate his birthday in front of his home crowd. With rumours rife that he may not lead the Kings XI Punjab side in the next IPL season, it's the perfectly chance for one of the game's biggest hitters to illustrate just why he's so feared by the opposition, and so loved by the fans.


Team news

Sreesanth missed the Nagpur with a stomach bug and has not recovered. He was admitted to a city hospital last night and is under the doctors' observation following multiple ailments. Rohit Sharma, who hurt his shoulder while diving in the last match, has also been ruled out. Rohit took part in the practice session at the PCA stadium but MS Dhoni said the team did not want to take a chance since he was not "match fit". Dinesh Karthik, a handy batsman to have in this format, should replace him. The management will decide on the final XI on the morning of the game. There is an outside shot that R Ashwin could replace Yusuf Pathan, though Pathan's swing-or-bust style may be persisted with for the moment.

India: (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Pragyan Ojha, 9 Ashok Dinda, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.

"I am tempted to play the same eleven which did a brilliant job in the last game," was Kumar Sangakkara's reply when asked about Sri Lanka's composition. There could, however, be a return to the fold for Ajantha Mendis, whose stock has plummeted since his heroics against India a little over a year ago.

Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dilhara Fernando.


Pitch and conditions

The dew could have a major role to play with a cold wave sweeping across northern India. Despite predictions of good bounce and carry, it looks like a bat-first-and-win match. If the skies are clear, the dew will be a factor by the time the first innings is over. Bowlers will find the ball hard to grip and batsmen could find the ball skidding through after pitching.


Quotes

"Hopefully before the next World Cup we would get it right. We will have the third edition of the IPL before that which I think will help. IPL will give us the right preparation."
India's inconsistency in Twenty20 is an area of concern for MS Dhoni.

"We always have to come up with new ways to improve. Momentum is good as it gives us the confidence, self belief. It gives us the belief that we can repeat all the good things."
Kumar Sangakkara believes staying fresh in this format is crucial to success.