Feroz Shah Kotla
Encyclopedia
The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla (Hindi: कोटला, Punjabi: ਕੋਟਲਾ, Urdu: کوٹلا) was 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. It is the second oldest international cricket stadium still functional in India, only after the Eden Gardens
in Kolkata
. It is located close to the 20,000 capacity Ambedkar Stadium
, the home of association football club New Delhi Heroes FC
.
In the 21 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.
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.
In the pre-independence era, due to lack of auditoriums in the capital, most classical music performances were stage here or at Qutub complex. Later Ebrahim Alkazi
, then head of NSD, staged his landmark production of Dharamvir Bharati
's Andha Yug
here and its premiered in 1964 was attended by Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
took 10 wicket
s in an inning
s 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
. The stadium was designed by architects and conservationists Mr Danish Siddiqui and 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 the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
, whose favorite haunt as a bowler was this ground, culminating in 63 wickets from 11 games here. Next best was Kapil Dev who took 38 from 14. Kotla not only marked Kumble's last Test, it also was the venue to the historic ten-wickets in an innings haul of 10/74 against arch-rivals Pakistan in 1999. Eerily the year Kumble exited Test career, in 2008, Kotla entered an international Test ban for one year and has not hosted a Test match since. Its due to host England in 2011.
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.
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.
The highest scores were made by West Indies, scoring 644-8 in 1959 and 631 all out in 1948. The next highest score was made by India scoring 613-7 in 2008 in Test cricket. The most runs scored here was by Dilip Vengsarkar (673 runs), followed by Sunil Gavaskar (668 runs) and Sachin Tendulkar (643 runs). The most wickets taken here was by Anil Kumble (58 wickets), followed by Kapil Dev
(32 wickets)and Bhagwath Chandresekhar (23 wickets).
The highest scores were made by West Indies, scoring 330-8 in the 2011 Cicket World Cup in ODIs. The next highest scores were made by Pakistan who scored 303-8 in 2005 and Australia who scored 294-3 in 1998.
The most runs scored here was by Sachin Tendulkar (300 runs), followed by Mohammed Azharuddin (267 runs) and Ricky Ponting
(245 runs). Kemar Roach
, Harbhajan Singh
and Ajit Agarkar
have taken 7 wickets on this ground in ODIs.
, 1996
and 2011
.
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
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
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
; it was moved from Ambala
Ambala
Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other...
, Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
and re-erected in its current location in 1356.
The Feroz Shah Kotla was established as a cricket ground in 1883. It is the second oldest international cricket stadium still functional in India, only after the Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. It is located close to the 20,000 capacity Ambedkar Stadium
Ambedkar Stadium
Ambedkar Stadium is a stadium in New Delhi, India. The stadium is named in honour of B. R. Ambedkar, the famous dalit leader and chairman of the Indian constituent assembly. It opened in 2007 and has a listed capacity of 20,000. It is currently used for football matches...
, the home of association football club New Delhi Heroes FC
New Delhi Heroes FC
The New Delhi Heroes are a football club from New Delhi, India.New Delhi Heroes are the past Winners of the Inaugural DCM Cup – 1945. They beat the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 3-2. They are also seven-time DSA League winners – 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 2007. They won the DSA...
.
In the 21 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.
History
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 SultanateDelhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
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
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
. The 13.1 metres high column, made of polished sandstone and dating from the 3rd Century BC, was brought from Ambala
Ambala
Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other...
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
Spolia
Spolia is a modern art-historical term used to describe the re-use of earlier building material or decorative sculpture on new monuments...
as building materials.
In the pre-independence era, due to lack of auditoriums in the capital, most classical music performances were stage here or at Qutub complex. Later Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi is one of the most influential Indian theatre directors and Drama teachers in 20th century Indian theatre. He also remained the Director of National School of Drama, New Delhi He has also been a noted art connoisseur, collector and gallery owner, and found Art Heritage Gallery in...
, then head of NSD, staged his landmark production of Dharamvir Bharati
Dharamvir Bharati
Dr. Dharamvir Bharati was a renowned Hindi poet, author, playwright and a social thinker of India. He was the Chief-Editor of the popular Hindi weekly magazine Dharmayug....
's Andha Yug
Andha Yug
Andha Yug is 1954 verse play written in Hindi, by renowned novelist, poet, and playwright Dharamvir Bharati . It was the first important play of 20th century India...
here and its premiered in 1964 was attended by Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
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 KumbleAnil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
took 10 wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s in an inning
Inning
Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....
s on this ground in 1999, only the second time this feat has been achieved in test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
. 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
Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils is the Delhi franchise for the Indian Premier League in cricket. The franchise is owned by the GMR Group.-Franchise history:...
of the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
. The stadium was designed by architects and conservationists Mr Danish Siddiqui and 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
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a 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 the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Statistics
Most successful team: India:- 10 wins. India's most successful Test ground in terms of victories has been Kotla, where India posted seven successive Test victories from 1993-2007. They, however, drew their last match here against Australia in 2008. India have not lost a single Test in that period, and since the inception of Test matches on this ground, India have only lost 6 of 24 games here.- Most successful visiting team:- England - 3 wins, West Indies - 2 wins. Of only 6 games won by visiting teams, England have won 3 games here.
- Highest Innings Score : 644/8 by West Indies on February 6, 1959 - India drew with West Indies.
- Lowest Innings Score : 75 all out by india on November 25, 1987 - West Indies beat India by 5 wickets.
- Wins Batting First : 5.
- Wins Bowling Last : 12.
- Average Innings Score : 288
- Most Prolific Batsman : Dilip VengsarkarDilip VengsarkarDilip Balwant Vengsarkar is an Indian cricketer and cricket administrator. He was one of the most stylish batsmen of his time, known as one of the foremost exponents of the drive. He was also known by the nickname 'Colonel'....
(671 runs). - Highest Individual Score : 230* by Bert SutcliffeBert SutcliffeBert Sutcliffe MBE was a New Zealand Test cricketer. Sutcliffe was a successful left-hand batsman. His batting achievements on tour in England in 1949, which included four fifties and a century in the Tests, earned him the accolade of being one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year...
v India on December 16, 1955 - India drew with New Zealand. - Most Successful Bowler : Anil Kumble (58 wickets).
Sports history
In recent history, Kotla has become synonymous with Anil KumbleAnil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
, whose favorite haunt as a bowler was this ground, culminating in 63 wickets from 11 games here. Next best was Kapil Dev who took 38 from 14. Kotla not only marked Kumble's last Test, it also was the venue to the historic ten-wickets in an innings haul of 10/74 against arch-rivals Pakistan in 1999. Eerily the year Kumble exited Test career, in 2008, Kotla entered an international Test ban for one year and has not hosted a Test match since. Its due to host England in 2011.
In 1952, playing against Pakistan, Hemu Adhikari
Hemu Adhikari
Colonel Hemchandra Ramachandra Adhikari was an Indian cricketer, representing his country as both a player and coach in a career that spanned three decades....
and Ghulam Ahmed
Ghulam Ahmed
Ghulam Ahmed was an off spin bowler, who captained India in Test cricket. After his retirement, he served for many years as the secretary of BCCI....
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.
England's John Lever
John Lever
John Lever MBE is an English former cricketer, who played in twenty one Tests and twenty two ODIs for England from 1976 to 1986...
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
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
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
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
took 10 for 74 in forth inning of a Test Match
Test match
Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:* Test cricket* Test match * Test match * Test match...
and became the second person to take 10 wickets in an innings after Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
. In 2005-06, at the same ground, Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
broke Gavaskar's record of most centuries with his 35th Test century.
The highest scores were made by West Indies, scoring 644-8 in 1959 and 631 all out in 1948. The next highest score was made by India scoring 613-7 in 2008 in Test cricket. The most runs scored here was by Dilip Vengsarkar (673 runs), followed by Sunil Gavaskar (668 runs) and Sachin Tendulkar (643 runs). The most wickets taken here was by Anil Kumble (58 wickets), followed by Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...
(32 wickets)and Bhagwath Chandresekhar (23 wickets).
The highest scores were made by West Indies, scoring 330-8 in the 2011 Cicket World Cup in ODIs. The next highest scores were made by Pakistan who scored 303-8 in 2005 and Australia who scored 294-3 in 1998.
The most runs scored here was by Sachin Tendulkar (300 runs), followed by Mohammed Azharuddin (267 runs) and Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
(245 runs). Kemar Roach
Kemar Roach
Kharab Andre Jamal Roach is a Barbadian cricketer. He played in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka and has represented the West Indies in Test and One Day International cricket...
, Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha , commonly known as Harbhajan Singh, is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan....
and Ajit Agarkar
Ajit Agarkar
Ajit Bhalchandra Agarkar is an Indian international cricketer, who has been on the fringes of the Indian side in both tests and one day matches since his debut in 1998...
have taken 7 wickets on this ground in ODIs.
Cricket World Cup
This stadium has hosted One Day International (ODI) matches when India hosted the Cricket World Cup in 19871987 Cricket World Cup
The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
, 1996
1996 Cricket World Cup
The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
and 2011
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
.
See also
External links
- Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium Layout
- Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium picture
- Feroz Shah Kotla Notable Events
- Commonwealth Games News
- Article on the ground from The Hindu
- Stats on the ground from Cricinfo
- Report on Feroz Shah Kotla compiled by students of School and Planning & Architecture, New Delhi
