India’s Oldest Cricket Stadium and Its Legacy Explained

India has been considered the powerhouse in cricket from the time it won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev till 2025 when several youngsters are making their way in the sport.

The rise of cricket was caused not only by the players who were involved but also by the infrastructure that provided them with a platform to enhance their skills.

In this article, we will discover the first cricket stadium in India, which has successfully hosted thousands of cricket matches, and its legacy in detail.

Which Is the Oldest Cricket Stadium in India?

India, as a country, has constructed several cricket stadiums, and the interest in the sport gradually increased after its World Cup win in 1983.

Eden Gardens is located in Kolkata, and is the oldest cricket stadium in India. Established in 1864, it is also the second-largest stadium in India and the third-largest in the world, with a capacity of 1,00,000.

Aspect	Details
Name	Eden Gardens
Location	B. B. D. Bagh Area, Kolkata
Year of Establishment	1864
Capacity	1,00,000
Significance	– The first and oldest cricket stadium in India – Second largest in India, 3rd largest in the world
Home Teams	Bengal Ranji Team, Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL)
Nicknames	– “Cricket’s answer to the Colosseum” – “Lords of the Indian Subcontinent” (by Steve Waugh) – Second best after Lord’s (Dilip Vengsarkar)
Iconic Matches Hosted	– 1987 Cricket World Cup – 2016 T20 World Cup – Several Asia Cup matches – Numerous iconic international matches
Other Sports Hosted	Occasionally used for Association Football matches
Managing Body	Headquarters of Cricket Association of Bengal
Clubhouse Name	Named after Dr. B. C. Roy (Former Chief Minister of West Bengal)

The stadium is considered the ‘Home of Indian Cricket’ since it has hosted many major ICC tournaments, including the World Cup, World Twenty20, and Asia, bringing all fans together in exciting and heart-pounding matches.

Similarly, there are other stadiums in India that have been carrying the legacy of Cricket for over 100 years.

Stadium Name	Year of Establishment
Eden Gardens, Kolkata	1864
Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi	1883
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk), Chennai	1916
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	1975
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru	1969
Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali	1993
Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera), Ahmedabad	1983
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad	2003

Legacy and Historical Significance of Eden Gardens

Eden Gardens was named after Eden Gardens Park, which is one of the oldest parks in Kolkata, but it was originally called ‘Auckland Circus Gardens’ in respect of Lord Auckland Eden.

The size of the stadium used to be twice the size of what it is now today as it was built on the grounds of Eden Park. Similarly, it carries a historical significance since it contains a 150-year-old Burmese Pagoda, which was shipped from Myanmar by Lord Dalhouisein in 1854.

On 27 April 2017, the four stands of the stadium were named after Indian soldiers, Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair, Havildar Hangpan Dada, Lieutenant Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa, and Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan, for their legacy and contribution towards India.

Along with brave soldiers, there are prominent cricket players whose names were inducted into the stands of Eden Gardens, like Sourav Ganguly, Pankaj Roy, Jagmohan Dalmiya, and B. N. Dutt.

Talking about the legacy the stadium carries throughout the year, the fans have witnessed iconic matches from the year 1962 when India and England were facing each other till the date.

India v/s England- 1962

This match between India and England in 1962 is considered one of the most epic and legacy-carrying matches played in the Eden Gardens, where India achieved victory after a long period of 27 years in which the host successfully won the match by 182 runs.

India v/s West Indies- 1975

India clutched from a loss to an 85-run victory in the third test. The West Indies team’s legendary players like Sir Andy Roberts, Bernard Julien, Roy Fredericks, and Lance Gibbs.

India v/s Australia- 2001

In 2001 against Australia, the partnership between V.V.S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid is one of the legacy-carrying matches when both players displayed outstanding performance after India’s first four batsmen returned to the pavilion in no time. The match that was nearly lost by India was won due to the contributions with the bat by Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman.

ICC World Twenty20 2016

The arch rivals, India and Pakistan, faced each other on 19th March, in the 1026 ICC World Twenty20, but it was again a one-sided match in favour of India as the host chased down 118 in 15.5 overs, where Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 55 runs to keep the World Cup winning streak against Pakistan.

First Day/Night Test Match (India vs Bangladesh) – Nov 2019

The first day/night test match was held in Eden Gardens, India, in 2019, where the hosts scored 374/9d in their very first innings. But Bangladesh was not able to catch up with India’s momentum and collapsed twice, 106 and 195. In the first innings, Ishant Sharma of India secured 5 wickets, leading India to victory by an innings and 46 runs.

Famous Records at Eden Gardens

Along with the iconic matches played in the Stadium that carry the legacy of the Indian Team, there were some notable players who ended up marking their names in history books with their famous records.

V.V.S. Laxman is one of the players who scored the most test runs in Eden Gardens (1217 runs), and Sachin Tendulkar has the most ODI runs at Eden Gardens (496 runs).

Among the bowlers, Harbhajan Singh was the first Indian to take a hat-trick at Eden Gardens against the mighty Australian team.

Player	Record Description	Details
V. V. S. Laxman	Most Test runs	1217 runs
Sachin Tendulkar	Most ODI runs	496 runs
Rohit Sharma	Highest individual ODI score	264 runs (in 2014)
Harbhajan Singh	First Indian to take a hat-trick in a Test	Against Australia (2000/01 Test match)