The MA Chidambaram Stadium is a cricket stadium located in the Chepauk area of Chennai. This stadium is named after the former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President, MA Chidambaram.
The stadium is also known as Chepauk, due to its location. This stadium is the home ground of the Tamil Nadu Ranji Team and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings.
MA Chidambaram Stadium Capacity
The seating capacity of the stadium was reduced to 38,000 after the Supreme Court of India ordered to seal three stands (I, J & K) for public safety reasons.
The MA Chidambaram stadium has witnessed the triple centuries of both Indian batsmen, i.e. Virender Sehwag's 319 and Karun Nair's 303. The previous highest score by a batsman in the ODIs (194 by Saeed Anwar of Pakistan) was achieved on this ground.
History
The MA Chidambaram Stadium was established in the year 1916 as the Madras Cricket Club Ground.
The first match to be played on this ground was a test match between India and England in the year 1934. The match was won by England by 202 runs.
Major Matches
The MA Chidambaram Stadium has been a special ground for the Indian national cricket team. Playing against England on this ground, the Indian team tasted victory for the first time in tests in 1952.
Another important match to be played on the MA Chidambaram Stadium was the India Australia test match in 1986. This was the second test match ever to be tied.
This stadium was the one which witnessed the highest successful run chase in tests when India chased 387 against England in December, 2008.
Controversies
The MA Chidambaram Stadium was in news for controversial issues when three of its stands were declared unauthorised by the Supreme Court.
These stands had a capacity of accommodating 12,000 spectators and the decision came just before the 2015 IPL which caused a loss of revenue to the Madras Cricket Association.
Recent Matches
The last match to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium was a Ranji match between Tamil Nadu and Andhra. The match was drawn and both teams shared points.
The last international match to be hosted by the MA Chidambaram Stadium was an ODI match between India and Australia in September, 2017. This match was won by India by 26 runs.