Top Indian venues with most Test matches

India’s Top Test Cricket Grounds: Where have the most matches been played? (Photo Source: Twitter)

India has come a long way since it hosted its first Test, back in December, 1933. The Bombay Gymkhana in Mumbai (then Bombay) played host to the red-ball game between India and England. Douglas Jardine was the skipper of the touring side with CK Nayudu leading the hosts.

Despite England winning convincingly by nine wickets, it well and truly laid the robust foundation of Test cricket in India. Since then, India have won 53 Test series at home and have asserted themselves as a dominant force in the sport.

Despite the proliferation of cricketing venues across the vast expanse of India in the recent past, certain ones continue to remain more celebrated than the others for the storied legacy they withhold when it comes to the purest format of cricket.

Here are the list of top Indian venues with most Test matches:

5. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru 

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru might be known more for its compact dimensions and optimal batting conditions to the younger generation, but in fact, the venue ranks fifth in the list with 24 games played. Nine out of the 24 have ended in draws. The docile track hardly offers any purchase for the bowlers, which is one of the main reasons for quite a lot of draws to have taken place at this venue.

Other than the second Test of the series against Australia, which saw local lad KL Rahul emerge as the Player of the Match for knocks of 90 and 51, all three wins of India where they have succeeded in bowling out the opposition in the fourth innings have been over 100 runs.

4. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai  

Probably one of the most aesthetic stadiums in the world, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, has hosted a total of 26 Tests up until now. The track at the Wankhede, with its characteristic red soil in addition to its lush outfield, makes it one of the best playing surfaces in the country.

There have been two prominent phases of inactivity at the venue when it comes to red-ball cricket, both lasting half-a-decade (2006 to 2011 and 2016 to 2021). Despite this, the zealous Mumbai populace haven’t failed to turn up in the event of a Test being conducted here.

The most-recent game at the venue took place almost three years back, when Mumbai-born New Zealand’s left-arm spinner, Ajaz Patel, secured all 10 of India’s wickets in the first innings, despite India taking the cake with an emphatic 372-run margin.

3. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

The Chepauk has hosted 34 Tests with the first one going the England’s way on the same tour of India (1933-34) as mentioned in the introductory paragraph. While several memorable matches have been played at the venue, a particularly unique game was the first Test against Australia in 1986, which ended in a tie. Notably, the Player of the Match award was also shared between Kapil Dev and Dean Jones.

Other noteworthy matches at the venue include the first two games of the four-match Test series against England in 2021. While the first game marked a remarkable start to the series for the visitors courtesy of the then-skipper, Joe Root, notching up his fifth double-century in Tests, the second one was completely dominated by India with bowling all-rounder, Ravichandran Ashwin, powering India’s cause courtesy of his fifth century in Tests and eight wickets in the match.

2. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

The Arun Jaitley Stadium in the capital city of India ranks second on the list with 35 games played. The first nine games at the Arun Jaitley (named as Ferozshah Kotla till 12th September, 2019) included seven draws.

The venue boasts a special relationship with records being toppled over. In 1983-84, former India skipper, Sunil Gavaskar, registered his 29th century to get on level terms with the great Don Bradman’s long-standing Test record. In 2005-06, Sachin Tendulkar broke Gavaskar’s record of most centuries in the history of Tests with his 35th Test century.

Another match which will be forever etched in the memory of cricket fans will be the final game of the all-format series against the Proteas. Despite India clinching the series with a mammoth 337-run win in the end, that particular fixture is fondly remembered for the dogged resistance from the end of the South African batters in the fourth innings in a bid to save the game, scoring only 143 in 143.1 overs in the final innings of the series.

1. Eden Gardens, Kolkata

The scenic venue in Kolkata stands tall at the top with it hosting the most number of Tests, with 42 to its name. Till the Narendra Modi Stadium was built in Ahmedabad, Eden was India’s largest cricket stadium in terms of capacity with an overall seating capacity of 68,000. Few venues in the world come close to the boisterous atmosphere of the Eden Gardens. The crowd here have regularly made itself India’s 12th man during Tests at this ground.

One of the most historic come-from-behind victories in the history of all cricket unfolded here. Australia were all set for a record-setting 17th straight Test victory after cleaning up India for a mere 171 in their first innings, enforcing a follow-on. They were in for one of the biggest upsets as a record 376-run stand between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid changed the complexion of the game as India turned the tables on the Aussies to record one of the most famous Test wins of all time.