# M. A. Chidambaram Stadium

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, commonly known as the Chepauk Stadium, is a cricket stadium in Chepauk, Chennai. It is named after former BCCI president M. A. Chidambaram, and is operated by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. It was established in 1916 and is the second oldest international cricket stadium in the country that is still in use after the Eden Gardens.
It hosts matches of the Indian cricket team and the Indian women's cricket team apart from conducting matches during major international cricketing events. It serves as the home ground of the Tamil Nadu cricket team and Tamil Nadu women's cricket team for domestic matches. The Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings plays its home matches at the stadium and the venue hosted the finals of the IPL in 2011, 2012, and 2024. It is also used as a venue for the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
Chepauk hosted its first cricket test match in February 1934 during England's tour of India. It subsequently hosted the first match of the inaugural Ranji Trophy in November of the same year. The India cricket team recorded its first test victory in 1952 against England at the venue. The venue was also the host of the second ever tied test match in the history of the game during Australia's tour in 1986.
The Indian women's team played their second ever women's test in November 1976 against West Indies at Chepauk. The stadium hosted its first one day international match between India and Australia during the 1987 Cricket World Cup. It subsequently served as one of the venues when India hosted the World Cup in 1996, 2011, 2023, and the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup. As of October 2024, the ground has hosted more than 80 international cricket matches.

## History
### Early years

In 1846, a cricket ground designed by Henry Irwin was established by Alexander Arbuthnot in the Chepauk palace grounds. In 1859, the Madras Presidency acquired the Chepauk palace from the Nawab of Carnatic. In 1865, a new pavilion was constructed and it became the home of the Madras Cricket Club (MCC). The original Chisholm pavilion located in the southwestern corner of the ground was badly damaged in a cyclone in 1889, and a new pavilion was constructed to replace the same in 1892. The new Irwin pavilion was built in Anglo-Indian architecture. The venue hosted a match between the touring Europeans versus the Indians Presidency in 1908. The stadium was formally established in 1916, when the presidency matches were planned as an annual event.

### International venue

Chepauk hosted its first cricket test match in February 1934 during England's tour of India which was won by England. It is the second oldest international cricket stadium in India that is still in use after the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It subsequently hosted the first match of the inaugural Ranji Trophy between Madras and Mysore in November of the same year. In 1946, first attempts were made to build a larger stadium by Anthony De Mello, which was accepted by the MCC subject to the approval of the Indian government. The stadium played host to the fifth test of the series when England toured India in 1951-52. In February 1952, India recorded its first ever test win when it beat England by an innings and eight runs.
When M. A. Chidambaram became the president of the Madras Cricket Association (MCA) in 1956, the association wanted to occupy the ground on a permanent basis. However, the MCC was reluctant to loan the use of the ground, fearing that regular use would lead to deterioration of the facilities. Hence, after India's first test victory in 1952, test matches in Madras were hosted at the corporation stadium till January 1967. When the 30-year lease of the stadium held by the MCC ended in 1966, the MCA obtained the least from the Madras government.

### Permanent structure and renaming

The MCA changed its name to Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) after the state was renamed from Madras State to Tamil Nadu. The TNCA wanted to build a permanent structure as the stadium still hosted matches with temporary stands and the foundation stone for the new stadium structure was laid in 1971. The Government of Tamil Nadu gave ₹1.5 million (US$17,000) with Chidambaram donating a similar amount from his personal wealth and the Madras Race Club donated ₹0.5 million (US$5,700). The remaining amount of ₹14 million (US$160,000) was loaned by the banks. The construction was completed in 1981.
Beginning in the late 1960s till the late 1980s, the stadium hosted a Test match in the second week of January which was termed the Pongal Test, as it coincided with the Pongal harvest festival. The Indian women's team played their second ever women's test in November 1976 against West Indies at Chepauk. The stadium was renamed from Madras Cricket Club Ground to M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in 1986. The venue was the host of the second ever tied test match in the history of the game during Australia's tour in 1986. The stadium hosted its first one day international match between India and Australia during the 1987 Cricket World Cup. It further hosted matches during the subsequent 1996 Cricket World Cup and 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup.

### Major venue and further upgrades

A major reconstruction work was undertaken at the cost of ₹1.75 billion (US$20 million) in 2010 ahead of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The plan consisted of constructing three new reinforced concrete stands which would accommodate an additional 12,000 spectators and the addition of 24 hospitality boxes. The renovation also included the construction of new translucent PTFE roofs to replace the old roofs supported by pillars that blocked the view of spectators and redesigning of the stands at a gradient of 36°, which would let the sea breeze to get into the ground. The stadium hosted four matches during the 2011 Cricket World Cup, which was won by India.
On 31 March 2015, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the renovation violated regulations relating to public safety. The court further ruled that the parts of the renovation which violate the regulations must be demolished and ordered the new stands to be sealed then. The stands remained sealed as the MCC gymnasium had to be demolished to adhere to the safety regulations laid down by the Greater Chennai Corporation and the MCC was reluctant to do so. After the lease agreement between the government and TNCA ended in 2016, the agreement was renewed in 2019 for a period of 21 years with revised conditions. The stands were finally de-sealed and opened in March 2020.
Further renovation works were planned in 2021-22 ahead of the 2023 Cricket World Cup. In December 2021, the old Anna pavilion, some of the stands and the MCC clubhouse were demolished to make way for a new pavilion and new stands. The demolition temporarily reduced the capacity to 31,140. The renovations were done at a cost of ₹1.39 billion (US$16 million) and following its completion, the permanent seating capacity of the stadium expanded to 38,000. The new stand which housed the Anna Pavilion was named after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and was inaugurated on 17 March 2023. The stadium hosted five matches during the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

## Location and access

The stadium is located close to the Marina Beach and can be accessed from Wallajah Road in the north, Bells Road in the west, and Victoria Hostel Road parallel to the Buckingham Canal in the east. The Chennai MRTS line abuts the stadium and the Chepauk MRTS Railway Station is located to the south-east. The nearest station of the Chennai Metro is the Government Estate station.

## Notable records

* The stadium was one of the venues of India's first ever home series against England in 1934.
* The first match of the inaugural Ranji Trophy was held on 4 November 1934 between Madras and Mysore at Chepauk.
* India recorded their first Test victory against England at Chepauk in February 1952.
* The second ever Tied Test in cricket history was played here between India and Australia in 1986.
* Sunil Gavaskar scored his 30th test match century against West Indies in 1983 breaking then record for most centuries in Test cricket held by Don Bradman.
* Narendra Hirwani took 8 wickets for 61 runs against the West Indies in January 1988, which are the best bowling figures by an Indian on Test debut and the third best overall. His match figures of 16 wickets for 136 runs in the match are a record for any bowler on debut.
* Saeed Anwar of Pakistan scored 194 against India in 1997, then the highest individual score in ODIs.
* On 15 October 2004, Shane Warne surpassed Muttiah Muralitharan's tally of 532 Test wickets to become the highest wicket taker during the time.
* Virender Sehwag scored 319 runs of 278 balls against South Africa in the home series in April 2008, the fastest triple century in Test history. He also became only the third batsman after Bradman and Brian Lara to score two triple centuries in Test Cricket. He scored 257 runs the third day of the match, which was the most runs scored by an individual batsman on a single day of a Test match since 1954. Rahul Dravid completed 10,000 Test runs in the same match.
* Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most Test runs of any other venue in India in Chepauk with 876 runs in nine Tests at an average of 87.60.
* India's scored 387/4 in the fourth innings of the first Test against England in December 2008, which is the second highest successful run chase for India in Test cricket.
* M S Dhoni scored 224 in the first test of the 2012–13 Border–Gavaskar Trophy against Australia on 24 February 2013. He became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a double century in Test cricket.
* India scored 759 runs in their first innings of the fifth test against England in the home series in December 2016 with Karun Nair scoring 303 not out. This was India's highest team total in Test cricket and Nair became the second Indian after Sehwag to score a triple century.
* Joe Root scored 218 runs in the first test against India in their away series in February 2021, which was the highest score by an English cricketer in India, and also the highest score in the 100th Test of any individual.

## Statistics
### Overall

Test Matches :
| Team | Pld | W | L | T | D |
| India | 35 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
| England | 11 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Australia | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| West Indies | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Pakistan | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| South Africa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
ODI Matches :
| Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR |
| India | 15 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| West Indies | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Australia | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| England | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pakistan | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenya | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| South Africa | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Afghanistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Asia XI | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Africa XI | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
T20I Matches :
| Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR |
| India | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| West Indies | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Women's Test Matches :
| Team | Pld | W | L | T | D |
| India | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| West Indies | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| South Africa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
WODI Matches :
| Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR |
| India | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Australia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| England | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denmark | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
WT20I Matches :
| Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR |
| South Africa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| India | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| West Indies | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| England | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Individual

Most Test runs :
| Runs | Player | Period |
| 1018 | Sunil Gavaskar | 1973–1987 |
| 970 | Sachin Tendulkar | 1993–2013 |
| 785 | Gundappa Viswanath | 1969–1982 |
| 729 | Virender Sehwag | 2002–2013 |
| 708 | Kapil Dev | 1979–1993 |
Highest individual scores in Tests :
| Runs | Player | Opposition | Year |
| 319 | Virender Sehwag | South Africa | 2008 |
| 303* | Karun Nair | England | 2016 |
| 236* | Sunil Gavaskar | West Indies | 1983 |
| 224 | MS Dhoni | Australia | 2013 |
| 222 | Gundappa Viswanath | England | 1982 |
Most Test wickets :
| Wickets | Player | Period |
| 48 | Anil Kumble | 1993–2008 |
| 42 | Harbhajan Singh | 2001–2013 |
| 40 | Kapil Dev | 1979–1993 |
| 36 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 2013–2024 |
| 36 | Erapalli Prasanna | 1967–1977 |
Best individual figures in Tests :
| Figures | Player | Opposition | Year |
| 8/55 | Vinoo Mankad | England | 1952 |
| 8/61 | Narendra Hirwani | West Indies | 1988 |
| 8/75 | Narendra Hirwani | West Indies | 1988 |
| 8/84 | Harbhajan Singh | Australia | 2001 |
| 7/48 | Anil Kumble | Australia | 2004 |

## Cricket World Cup

This stadium has hosted 12 men's one-day matches across four Cricket World Cups and a single WODI match during the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup.

### 1987 Cricket World Cup

* 9 October 1987
| Australia 270/6 (50 overs) | v | India 269 (49.5 overs) |
| Geoff Marsh 110 (141) Manoj Prabhakar 2/47 (10 overs) | | Navjot Sidhu 73 (79) Craig McDermott 4/56 (10 overs) |
* Australia won by 1 run Umpires: David Archer and Dickie Bird Player of the match: Geoff Marsh
* 13 October 1987
| Australia 235/9 (50 overs) | v | Zimbabwe 139 (49.4 overs) |
| Allan Border 67 (88) Kevin Curran 2/29 (8 overs) | | Kevin Curran 30 (38) Simon O'Donnell 4/39 (9.4 overs) |
* Australia won by 96 runs Umpires: Khizer Hayat and David Shepherd Player of the match: Steve Waugh

### 1996 Cricket World Cup

* 11 March 1996
| New Zealand 286/9 (50 overs) | v | Australia 289/4 (47.5 overs) |
| Chris Harris 130 (124) Glenn McGrath 2/50 (9 overs) | | Mark Waugh 110 (112) Dion Nash 1/44 (9 overs) |
* Australia won by 6 wickets Umpires: Cyril Mitchley and S. Venkataraghavan Player of the match: Mark Waugh

### 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup

* 26 December 1997 Scorecard
| New Zealand 175/6 (50 overs) | v | England 155 (47.5 overs) |
| Debbie Hockley 43 (104) Karen Smithies 3/40 (10 overs) | | Janette Brittin 32 (88) Clare Nicholson 2/29 (10 overs) |
* New Zealand Women won by 20 runs Umpires: N Muralidaran and P Venkatesan Player of the match: Debbie Hockley (NZ)
* New Zealand women won the toss and elected to bat

### 2011 Cricket World Cup

* 20 February 2011
| Kenya 69 (23.5 overs) | v | New Zealand 72/0 (8 overs) |
| Rakep Patel 16 (23) Hamish Bennett 4/16 (5 overs) | | Martin Guptill 39* (32) Thomas Odoyo 0/25 (3 overs) |
* New Zealand won by 10 wickets Umpires: Marais Erasmus and Rod Tucker Player of the match: Hamish Bennett
* 6 March 2011
| England 171 (45.4 overs) | v | South Africa 165 (47.4 overs) |
| Ravi Bopara 60 (98) Imran Tahir 4/38 (8.4 overs) | | Hashim Amla 42 (51) Stuart Broad 4/15 (6.4 overs) |
* England won by 6 runs Umpires: Simon Taufel and Amiesh Saheba Player of the match: Ravi Bopara
* 17 March 2011 (D/N)
| England 243 (48.4 overs) | v | West Indies 225 (44.4 overs) |
| Jonathan Trott 47 (38) Andre Russell 4/49 (8 overs) | | Andre Russell 49 (46) James Tredwell 4/48 (10 overs) |
* England won by 18 runs Umpires: Bruce Oxenford and Steve Davis Player of the match: James Tredwell
* 20 March 2011 (D/N)
| India 268 (49.1 overs) | v | West Indies 188 (43 overs) |
| Yuvraj Singh 113 (123) Ravi Rampaul 5/51 (10 overs) | | Devon Smith 81 (97) Zaheer Khan 3/26 (6 overs) |
* India won by 80 runs Umpires: Simon Taufel and Steve Davis Player of the match: Yuvraj Singh

### 2023 Cricket World Cup

* 8 October 2023 14:00 (D/N)
| Australia 199 (49.3 overs) | v | India 201/4 (41.2 overs) |
| Steve Smith 46 (71) Ravindra Jadeja 3/28 (10 overs) | | KL Rahul 97* (115) Josh Hazlewood 3/38 (9 overs) |
* India won by 6 wickets Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZ) and Richard Kettleborough (Eng) Player of the match: KL Rahul (Ind)
* Australia won the toss and elected to bat first
* 13 October 2023 14:00 (D/N)
| Bangladesh 245/9 (50 overs) | v | New Zealand 248/2 (42.5 overs) |
| Mushfiqur Rahim 66 (75) Lockie Ferguson 3/49 (10 overs) | | Daryl Mitchell 89* (67) Mustafizur Rahman 1/36 (10 overs) |
* New Zealand won by 8 wickets Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SL) and Nitin Menon (Ind) Player of the match: Lockie Ferguson (NZ)
* New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first
* 18 October 2023 14:00 (D/N)
| New Zealand 288/6 (50 overs) | v | Afghanistan 139 (34.4 overs) |
| Glenn Phillips 71 (80) Naveen-ul-Haq 2/48 (8 overs) | | Rahmat Shah 36 (62) Lockie Ferguson 3/19 (7 overs) |
* New Zealand Won by 149 runs Umpires: Joel Wilson (WI) and Paul Wilson (Aus) Player of the match: Glenn Phillips (NZ)
* Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field.
* 23 October 2023 14:00 (D/N)
| Pakistan 282/7 (50 overs) | v | Afghanistan 286/2 (49 overs) |
| Babar Azam 74 (92) Noor Ahmad 3/49 (10 overs) | | Ibrahim Zadran 87 (113) Hasan Ali 1/44 (10 overs) |
* Afghanistan Won by 8 Wickets Umpires: Paul Reiffel (Aus) and Rod Tucker (Aus) Player of the match: Ibrahim Zadran (Afg)
* Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
* This was Afghanistan's first win against Pakistan in international cricket.
* 27 October 2023 14:00 (D/N)
| Pakistan 270 (46.4 overs) | v | South Africa 271/9 (47.2 overs) |
| Saud Shakeel 52 (52) Tabraiz Shamsi 4/60 (10 overs) | | Aiden Markram 91 (93) Shaheen Afridi 3/45 (10 overs) |
* South Africa won by 1 wicket Umpires: Paul Reiffel (Aus) and Alex Wharf (Eng) Player of the match: Tabraiz Shamsi (SA)
* Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
* Usama Mir (Pak) replaced Shadab Khan as a concussion substitute during the second innings of the match.