Ground information
Location DelhiCoordinates 28°38′16″N 77°14′35″ECoordinates: 28°38′16″N 77°14′35″E
Establishment 1883
Capacity 48,000
Owner Delhi District Cricket Association
Operator Delhi District Cricket Association
Tenants Delhi, Delhi Daredevils
End names
Stadium EndPavilion End
International information
First Test 10 Nov - 14 Nov 1948: India v West IndiesLast 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
ABOUT
The Feroz Shah Kotla (Hindi: फ़िरोज़ शाह कोटला, Punjabi: ਫ਼ਿਰੋਜ਼ ਸ਼ਾਹ ਕੋਟਲਾ, Urdu: فروز شاہ کوٹلا) 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.
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.
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 2005-06, at the same ground, Sachin Tendulkar broke Gavaskar's record of most centuries with his 35th Test century.
