Feroz Shah Kotla

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Feroz Shah Kotla

Ground information
Location Delhi
Coordinates Coordinates:
Establishment 1883
Capacity 48,000
Owner Delhi District Cricket Association
Operator Delhi District Cricket Association
Tenants Delhi, Delhi Daredevils
End names
Stadium End
Pavilion End
International information
First Test 10 Nov - 14 Nov 1948: India v West Indies

Last Test 29 Oct - 2 Nov 2008: India v Australia

First ODI 15 Sep 1982: India v Sri Lanka

Last ODI 27 December 2009: India v Sri Lanka

As of 27 December 2009

Source: Feroz Shah Kotla, Cricinfo

The Feroz Shah Kotla (Hindi: फ़िरोज़ शाह कोटला, Punjabi: ਫ਼ਿਰੋਜ਼ ਸ਼ਾਹ ਕੋਟਲਾ, Urdu: ‫فروز شاہ‬
‫ )کوٹال‬or Kotla (Hindi: कोटला, Punjabi: ਕੋਟਲਾ, Urdu: ‫ )کوٹال‬was originally a fortress built by
Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi city called Ferozabad. A pristine
polished sandstone pillar from the 3rd century B.C. rises from the palace's crumbling
remains, one of many pillars left by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka; it was moved from
Ambala, Punjab and re-erected in its current location in 1356.

The Feroz Shah Kotla was established as a cricket ground in 1883.

In the 21st century, the Feroz Shah Kotla is famed for its cauldron-like atmosphere, which is
supposed to be the best in the country. The vociferous home support has led to a great
winning sequence for India in Test Matches, and the National Cricket Team has been
undefeated for over 20 years at this ground.

Contents
[hide]

 1 History
o 1.1 Feroz Shah Kotla cricket ground
 2 Statistics
 3 Sports history
 4 Cricket World Cup
 5 See also
 6 References
 7 External links

[edit] History

West Gate of Firozabad, now destroyed. 1802

Firuz Shah Tughlaq (r. 1351-88), the Sultan of Delhi, established the fortified city of
Firozabad in 1354, as the new capital of the Delhi Sultanate on the banks of Yamuna river,
the site of the present Feroze Shah Kotla, literally Kotla (fortress or citadel) of Firoz Shah.
Here he erected the Lat or Ashoka Column, attributed to Mauryan ruler Ashoka. The 13.1
metres high column, made of polished sandstone and dating from the 3rd Century BC, was
brought from Ambala by Firoz Shah. Here it stands on the uppermost section of a three-tiered
arcaded palace pavilion located near to the main royal residences and congregational mosque
at heart of the fortified area. Most of the city was destroyed as subsequent rulers dismantled
its buildings and reused the spolia as building materials.[1][2]

[edit] Feroz Shah Kotla cricket ground

The Feroz Shah Kotla was established as a cricket ground in 1883. The first Test match at
this venue was played on November 10, 1948 when India took on the West Indies. Anil
Kumble took 10 wickets in an inning on this ground in 1999, only the second time this feat
has been achieved in test cricket. It is owned and operated by the DDCA (Delhi District
Cricket Association). Since 2008 the stadium has been the home venue of the Delhi
DareDevils of the Indian Premier League.[3] The stadium was designed by renowed architect
and conservationist Mr Danish Siddiqui & Naval Khanna.

On 27 December 2009, an ODI match between India and Sri Lanka was called off because
pitch conditions were classed as unfit to host a match. Based on match referee's report of the
match, Kotla, which is scheduled to stage four World Cup matches in 2011, faced strict
sanction ranging from a fine to a ban of 12 to 24 months. More than 14 months ban would
have meant Kotla's exclusion from 2011 Cricket World Cup. But the ICC decided to ban
Kotla for only 12 months, and as a result of that Kotla continues to be one of the venues for
2011 Cricket World Cup.[4]

Ashoka Pillar at Firoze Shah Kotla, Delhi, 1860

Ruined walls of Firoze Shah Kotla

[edit] Statistics
Most Successful Team : India - 10 wins.

Highest Innings Score : 644/8 by West Indies on February 6, 1959 - India drew with West
Indies.

Lowest Innings Score : 75 all out by West Indies on November 25, 1987 - India beat West
Indies by 5 wickets.
Wins Batting First : 5.

Wins Batting Last : 12.

Average Innings Score : 288

Most Prolific Batsman : Dilip Vengsarkar (671 runs).

Highest Individual Score : 230* by Bert Sutcliffe v India on December 16, 1955 - India drew
with New Zealand.

Most Successful Bowler : Anil Kumble (58 wickets).

[edit] Sports history

In 1952, playing against Pakistan, Hemu Adhikari and Ghulam Ahmed were involved in a
record tenth wicket stand of 109 runs - a record that still stands. In 1965, S Venkataraghavan,
in his debut series, demolished the New Zealand line up with figures of 8 for 72 and 4 for 80.
In 1969-70, Bishen Singh Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna combined to spin India to a famous
seven wicket win over Australia, the duo picking 18 wickets between themselves.[3]

England's John Lever had a memorable debut at the Kotla in 1976, when he notched up a
half-century and had match figures of 10 for 70. Five years later, Geoff Boycott surpassed
Gary Sobers' world record Test aggregate. In 1983-84, Sunil Gavaskar scored his 29th
century to equal Don Bradman's long standing record for the highest number of hundreds in
Test cricket. In 1999-2000, in a match against Pakistan, Anil Kumble took 10 for 74 in forth
inning of a Test Match and became the second person to take 10 wickets in an innings after
Jim Laker. In 2005-06, at the same ground, Sachin Tendulkar broke Gavaskar's record of
most centuries with his 35th Test century.[3]

[edit] Cricket World Cup

This stadium has hosted One Day International (ODI) matches when India hosted the Cricket
World Cup in 1987, 1996 and is planned to do so again in 2011.

[edit] See also

 List of Test cricket grounds
 List of international cricket centuries at the Feroz Shah Kotla

[edit] References
1. ^ "West Gate of Firoz Shah Kotla". British Library.
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019xzz000007682u00011000.htm
l.
2. ^ "Pillar of Firoz Shah at Delhi". British Library.
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000000709u00000000.ht
ml.
3. ^ a b c Feroz Shah Kotla crickinfo.com
4. ^ No International matches in Feroze Shah Kotla until end 2010