Arun Jaitley Stadium is India’s third oldest cricket stadium, situated in Delhi, the capital city of India. It hosts all cricket events, like test matches, ODI matches, and T20 matches, in domestic as well as international formats.
Introduction
Arjun Jaitley Cricket Stadium is the second oldest cricket stadium in India, established in 1883 after, The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in 1864 in Kolkata, West Bengal. The Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) is the owner as well as the operator of the stadium.
The stadium was renamed from Firoz Shah Kotla Stadium (named after Kotla Fort) to Arun Jaitley Stadium in recognition of the former DDCA president and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The stadium is located on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Delhi. The first ever international match was played in the category of a test match on November 28, 1948, between India and the West Indies.
After renovation, the stadium can now accommodate nearly 40,000 viewers at a time. The seating capacity was reduced during the renovation to make the stadium look beautiful.
The Indian team has the record for winning the match with the highest number of wickets (8 in hand) against England in October 2011. Similarly, the Australian team won the match against the Netherlands with the highest margin of 309 runs at this stadium on October 25, 2023. India has ranked 4th in the highest margin chase after the West Indies and Pakistan.
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the highest score of 769 runs in 10 matches of the ODI format at Arun Jaitley Stadium. Anil Kumble has the most wickets at Arun Jaitley Stadium, with 58, while Ravindra Jadeja has the highest total of 9 wickets in 5 ODI matches.
Arun Jaitley Stadium: Pitch Report
Arun Jaitley Stadium is oval in shape with a grassy and flat surface. The short pitch, which includes 60 metres of straight boundary and 58 metres of square side boundary and grassy flat surface, favours the batsman to score. Based on the old records and the pitch preference for batting, this was also observed during the previous World Cup, when the last four matches played on this ground had a score of more than 300 runs.
Arun Jaitley Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in India, with a seating capacity of about 40,000. Although the pitch of Arun Jaitley Stadium is favourable for batsmen, its flatness has been equally supportive of the Spinners as well as the Pacers. Spinners average 29.5 and have a strike rate of 24.1 while pacers average 32 and strike at 22.9.
Records and Stats
At this ground, India has been the most successful team, with a total win of 10 matches out of 18 matches that had been played against various teams in a test match format. England has the best performance as a guest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with 3 wins.
Test match record at Arun Jaitley Stadium
The stadium has been the stage for numerous thrilling encounters, with the highest test score of 644/8 in 1959 and 631 all out in 1948 on this ground by the West Indies team. The next highest score was made by India, scoring 613–7 in 2008, adding to the high voltage records in test matches. The individual test match record for the highest runs scored here is by Dilip Vengasarkar (637 runs), followed by Sunil Gavaskar (668 runs).
The highest wicket was taken by Anil Kumble with 58 wickets, followed by Kapil Dev with 32 and R Ashwin with 27 wickets.
| Total Matches | 37 |
| Matches won batting first | 6 |
| Matches won bowling first | 14 |
| Average 1st inning Score | 340 |
| Average 2nd inning Score | 315 |
| Average 3rd inning Score | 233 |
| Average 4th inning Score | 163 |
| Highest total recorded | 644/8 (214 Ovs) | WI vs IND |
| Lowest total recorded | 75/10 (30.5 Ovs) | IND vs WI |
| Highest score chased | 276/5 (80.4 Ovs) | IND vs WI |
| Lowest score defended | 207/10 (60.3 Ovs) | PAK vs IND |
ODI match record at Arun Jaitley Stadium
High-voltage ODIs with iconic moments like record chases and nail-biting finishes have their own records, with the highest ODI total on this ground at 428/5, scored by South Africa against Sri Lanka in 2003 World Cup matches. 15 batsmen have scored ODI centuries, with the highest individual score of 145 by Ricky Pointing (Australia). Sir Vivian Richard took the highest 6 wicket against India in 1989.
| Total Matches | 33 |
| Matches won batting first | 16 |
| Matches won bowling first | 16 |
| Average 1st inning Score | 239 |
| Average 2nd inning Score | 208 |
| Highest total recorded | 428/5 (50 Ovs) By RSA vs SL |
| Lowest total recorded | 90/10 (21 Ovs) By NED vs AUS |
| Highest score chased | 282/7 (41.1 Ovs) By BAN vs SL |
| Lowest score defended | 174/7 (50 Ovs) By NZW vs INDW |
T20 match record at Arun Jaitley Stadium
Arun Jaitley Stadium has been the home to the Delhi Capitals (earlier Delhi Daredevils) in the IPL. The first international match was played in the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup Championship between the England and Afghanistan teams. India played its first international match on this stadium with New Zealand on November 1, 2017. Also Ashish Nehra (the pacer) played his last international match on this ground.
| Total Matches | 13 |
| Matches won batting first | 4 |
| Matches won bowling first | 9 |
| Average 1st inning Score | 139 |
| Average 2nd inning Score | 133 |
| Highest total recorded | 212/3 (19.1 Ovs) By RSA vs IND |
| Lowest total recorded | 120/10 (19.3 Ovs) By SL vs RSA |
| Highest score chased | 212/3 (19.1 Ovs) By RSA vs IND |
| Lowest score defended | 96/7 (20 Ovs) By INDW vs PAKW |
The stadium has witnessed many events and moments that will always be remembered by its viewers. Still the ground is capturing the various domestic and international moments within it. With a rich history of records Arun Jaitley Stadium has many memories for many players, teams and general public.