Eden Gardens Cricket Ground: Cricketing Heritage

Situated in Kolkata of West Bengal is one of India’s most oldest and most important Cricket Grounds, the Eden Gardens. With a history of more than a hundred years, this ground, along with the Lord’s Ground in London and the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia are the three most prestigious grounds in the world. The stadium also known as The Home or Mecca of Indian Cricket is the first purpose-built stadium in India and has had ton of exciting sporting fairytales to tell. So, let’s explore the Magical Eden Gardens Cricket Ground in this article by ZAP. 

History of Eden Gardens Cricket Ground in Kolkata:

This historic cricket ground in Kolkata, India, was established in 1864, and is as old as the history of cricket in India. Its name has uncertain origins. One theory suggests it's named after Eden Gardens Park, which was named after the Eden sisters, Emily and Fanny, who were related to Lord Auckland, the Governor-General of India (1836–1842). The park was initially called the 'Auckland Circus Gardens' before being renamed to what it is now in 1841.

Credit: Old Indian Photos

However, according to popular culture, it's said that Babu Rajchandra Das, the landlord of Janbazar, gifted his garden, Mar Bagan, to Lord Auckland and Emily Eden in gratitude for saving his daughter's life. This garden was then renamed Eden Gardens.

The stadium's first Test match was in 1934, and it hosted its first One Day International in 1987 and its first T20 international in 2011. The 1993 Hero Cup semi-final was the first day/night match held there. The Ground also hosted matches in the inaugural Nehru Cup in 1982, including a football match between India and Uruguay in 1984. This iconic ground has witnessed countless memorable sporting moments over the years.

Also Read: Football vs Cricket

Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium Seating Capacity:

Credit: ESPN Cricinfo

The Kolkata Ground was India’s largest cricket ground before the Narendra Modi Stadium was built in Ahmedabad. The Eden Garden stadium capacity right now is around 68,000 after going through multiple renovations over the years. The venue witnessed a record crowd of 110,564 in the 1996 India Vs Sri Lanka World Cup Semi-Final. And since the 2000s, there have been 6 instances where a match day attendance of more than 100,000 people has been recorded. 

Eden Gardens Dimensions, Boundary Size and Ground Conditions:

Credit: X.com / JioCinema

Not just by seating capacity, the Eden Gardens is one of the biggest in India in terms of turf size too. The square boundaries stretch to about 66-68 meters, making it quite a challenge for batsmen to hit fours and sixes. Meanwhile, the straight boundaries are even longer, measuring around 76-78 meters. The huge dimensions of the stadium are supported by the grandeur of the seating. But there’s not much to worry about for batsmen here. Though the boundary size is big, the ground conditions are mostly in favour of the batters. The dew, later in the day makes it difficult for bowlers to grip the bowl and the outfield is smooth as an ice skating rink makes the ball run towards the boundaries in a flash. 

Eden Gardens Stadium Pitch Report and Weather Conditions:

Credit: ESPN Cricinfo

The ground is a paradise for batsmen to bat upon. The pitch here is a batting friendly flat track offering consistent pace and bounce. Though it is not completely for the batters, the pitch offers good pace, bounce, and turn and if you can extract it well and use it for your own benefit to the best, you can really dominate batsmen. Just like the Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers did against the Royal Challengers Bangalore batters dismissing them for just 49 runs in an IPL game. 

Kolkata Cricket Grounds Stadium Map and Stands Layout:

The stands in Eden Gardens bear the names of famous local players and many Indian Soldiers. There are 4 stands named after cricketers Sourav Ganguly, Pankaj Roy and BCCI Bureaucrats BN Dutt and Jagmohan Dalmiya. 

Later, in April 2017, four stands were named after Indian soldiers—Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair, Havildar Hangpan Dada, Lieutenant Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa, and Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan. 

The Home ground of the Kolkata Knight Riders:

Credit: ESPN Cricinfo

The Kolkata Knight Riders' really have one of the best home grounds in the entire IPL, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The stadium along with its history is the beacon of all cricket activities in West Bengal. The atmosphere at the stadium is electric, and the crowds are incredibly passionate and supportive for each and every IPL game. Also, the pitch here is perfectly suited for a balanced game, with very few advantage to batsmen over bowlers. This gives KKR, a franchise who have historically always built a balanced squad, a significant home advantage, and it is one of the reasons why they have been fairly successful over the years.

Read about Some other IPL Teams and their Home Grounds:

Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium | Chennai Super Kings

Eden Garden and Sourav Ganguly’s Bell Tradition:

Credit: Wikimedia Images

Eden Gardens has one of the best traditions at a cricket ground and that’s what some great players had to say about this venue. Large and enthusiastic audiences are a well-known feature of Eden Gardens. The venue is regarded by former Australian captain Steve Waugh as the "Lords of the subcontinent." According to Dileep Vengsarkar, it is the second-best place after Lords. In an interview, Sourav Ganguly, admitted that the cheering of the fans at the stadium during India's victory over the Australian Team in the Second Test of the 2000–01 Border–Gavaskar Trophy was the loudest he had ever heard.

Cricket Association of Bengal:

Credit: The Times of India

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), is the state organization that looks after all the cricket-related activities that take place in West Bengal. It has been a full member of the Board for Control of Cricket in India for a very long time and has its headquarters at the Eden Gardens Ground in Kolkata. The main work of the CAB is hunting talent for the West Bengal Cricket Team which plays in various tournaments like the First Class Cricket and other domestic tournaments at the Eden Gardens as their home ground. Apart from this, the CAB also organizes state-level tournaments.

Eden Gardens Stadium Records:

The Eden Gardens Cricket Ground has hosted historic matches since the start of the 20th century and has been a site for some of the most memorable matches ever played. Here are some:

India vs Australia – 2nd Test – 2001:

Credit: The Times of India

India's 2001 Test victory against Australia was a remarkable display of batting, with VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid combining for a triple century partnership. Laxman's innings fell short of a triple century, while Dravid contributed a 180 Australia, with a target of 384, fell to 212 all out, thanks to Harbhajan Singh's mesmerizing bowling performance, including a hat-trick in the first innings.

India vs South Africa - Hero Cup Semi-Final – 1993:

Credit: The Indian Express

One of the most nerve-wracking matches India has ever played. India was defending a modest total of 195 against South Africa with SA only needing 6 runs off the last over. Sachin Tendulkar, turned hero and defended the score only conceding 3 runs and winning the match by 2 runs. 

West Indies vs England – T20 World Cup Final – 2016:

Credit: T20 World Cup

“Carlos Braithwaite, remember the name”. One of the best moments in T20 World Cup History happened here. the West Indies started strong, but England made a comeback to set a target of 155. Marlon Samuels played a crucial innings, and Carlos Brathwaite became a hero by hitting four consecutive sixes in the final over to give the West Indies their second World T20 title in a dramatic fashion.

India’s first pink-ball Test versus Bangladesh:

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In 2019, India hosted Bangladesh for their first pink-ball Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After defeating Bangladesh in the first Test in Indore's Holkar Stadium, India won the toss and elected to bat first in the very first Pink Ball Test. Ishant Sharma's five-wicket haul helped India bowl out Bangladesh for 106 runs in their first innings. The King, Virat Kohli got to his 27th Test ton which helped India post 347/9d in their first innings. In the second innings, Bangladesh could only manage 195 runs, with Umesh Yadav and Ishant taking nine wickets.

Kolkata Ground Test Match Records:

• Matches hosted: 47

• Highest team total: 657/7 declared by India vs Australia in 2001

• Highest individual score: 319 by Sachin Tendulkar (India) vs South Africa in 2004

• Lowest team total: 128 by Australia vs India in 2001

• Most wickets in a match: 12 by Harbhajan Singh (India) vs Australia in 2001

• Most wickets in a career at this venue: 68 by Anil Kumble (India)

ODI Records:

• Matches hosted: 32

• Highest team total: 407/5 by India vs Sri Lanka in 1997

• Highest individual score: 264 by Rohit Sharma (India) vs Sri Lanka in 2014

• Lowest team total: 125 by Bangladesh vs India in 2009

• Most wickets in a match: 5 by Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) vs New Zealand in 2016

• Most wickets in a career at this venue: 46 by Anil Kumble (India)

T20 Records: 

• Matches hosted: 11

• Highest team total: 201/5 by Pakistan vs Bangladesh in 2016

• Highest individual score: 85* by Marlon Samuels (West Indies) vs England in 2016

• Lowest team total: 70 by Bangladesh vs New Zealand in 2016

• Most wickets in a match: 5 by Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) vs New Zealand in 2016

• Most wickets in a career at this venue: 7 by Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)

IPL Records and Significance:

Credit: News18

The Eden gardens along with being one of the best stadiums in India, is a center for all IPL matches. The ground is only second behind Chinnaswamy Stadium to have hosted the most number of games, with 87 games played. Also, the venue is a regular to play important playoff matches. Here are all the IPL records at this ground:

• Highest Innings Total: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - 235 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2023.

• Lowest Innings Total: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) - 9 against KKR in 2017. (Also a record low total for the IPL overall)

• All-Time Leading IPL Run Scorer at this venue: Gautam Gambhir - 1407 runs

• All-Time Leading IPL Wicket Takers at this venue: Sunil Narine - 59 wickets

• Highest Score by a Batsman: Rajat Patidar (RCB) - 112 runs (54 balls) against Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) in 2022.

• Best Bowling Figures: Sunil Narine (KKR) - 5 wickets for 19 runs against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in 2012.

Conclusion:

The Eden Gardens in Kolkata has historically been one of India's premier sporting venues. Even though it is almost a century old, it still remains one of the biggest sports ground in the world. With many ICC ODI World Cup 2023 matches taking place here, the venue is a testament to the power of cricket to bring people together and create unforgettable moments.

Now that you have read about the Eden Gardens Cricket Ground, here are some other cricket grounds we recommend reading about:

Sydney Cricket Ground | MCA Stadium Pune | Rose Bowl Stadium | Newlands Stadium