The first Test match at this venue was played on 10 November 1948 when India took on the West Indies.
Records In 1952, playing against
Pakistan,
Hemu Adhikari and
Ghulam Ahmed were involved in a record tenth wicket stand of 111 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. In 1981,
Geoff Boycott surpassed
Gary Sobers' world record test aggregate. In 1983,
Sunil Gavaskar hit his 29th test ton in this ground to equal
Don Bradman's then record tally of 29 centuries. In 1999,
Anil Kumble took all 10 wickets in an innings against
Pakistan, to become only the second bowler to achieve this feat after
Jim Laker. In December 2005,
Sachin Tendulkar scored his 35th test century against
Sri Lanka to break Sunil Gavaskar record of the most test centuries.
2009 dangerous pitch 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 the match referee's report of the match, the ground was banned by the
International Cricket Council (ICC) for 12 months. International cricket returned with the
2011 Cricket World Cup.
Indian Premier League Since 2008, the stadium has been the home of the
Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) of the
Indian Premier League.
2017 Smog incident During the second day of the third test of
Sri Lankan cricket team in India in 2017-18 at
Delhi, smog forced Sri Lanka cricketers to stop play and wear anti-pollution masks, a rare sight in terms of play interruptions. Cricketer
Lahiru Gamage reported to have
shortness of breath.
Nic Pothas, coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team, reported that cricketer
Suranga Lakmal had vomited regularly due to the severe pollution effect on the Delhi ground. There was a halt of play between 12:32 pm and 12:49 pm, which caused Indian coach
Ravi Shastri to come out to consult with the on-field umpires. BCCI president C. K. Khanna accused the Sri Lankan team of making fuss while Indian spectators called the team "melodramatic". On day 4, India's
Mohammed Shami was also seen vomiting on the field. Following the match, both participating countries criticized the choice to play the Test in Delhi with the high levels of pollution. The Sri Lanka manager
Asanka Gurusinha said that both teams were using oxygen cylinders in their dressing rooms due to breathing difficulties, and suggested the use of air-quality meters in future fixtures. President of the
Indian Medical Association, KK Agarwal, said that playing in such conditions could result in
lung and
heart disease, and recommended the inclusion of atmospheric pollution as a factor in the assessment criteria for a match. ==Statistics==