“The crowd is really knowledgeable” – South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi picks Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium as his favorite Indian ground
South African ace spinner Tabraiz Shasmi has picked Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium as his favorite Indian ground for their unbiased support. Notably, the crowd is often seen clapping for player’s achievements regardless of the team whether it’s international cricket or the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The venue is home to the five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
A user asked Shamsi on X:
“Fav Indian Ground?”
Shamsi replied:
“Chennai. The crowd is really knowledgeable and appreciates good plays from both teams during the game no matter who is playing.”
Apart from international cricket, Tabraiz Shamsi has played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL. The 34-year-old has played an ODI against Pakistan at the venue during the 2023 ODI World Cup. He picked up four wickets to be adjudged Player of the Match as the Proteas won by one run in a thriller.
Shamsi is playing for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024.
When Rahul Dravid echoed similar sentiments as Tabraiz Shamsi for the Chennai crowd
Rajasthan Royals’ new head coach Rahul Dravid was also in awe of the Chepauk crowd while attending the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2024 final.
The 51-year-old told Star Sports:
“Of course, I’ve played a lot of international cricket here and it’s always great to play in front of this crowd because it was one of the most supportive and appreciative crowds in the country, really knew their cricket and love their cricket."
“Yeah, I think some of my best memories are actually playing league cricket here, playing league cricket in the old days, growing up here and the stadium used to look very different then. All concrete stands, it’s beautiful to see how it’s changed now but it was lovely to play some league cricket here," he added.
Notably, Dravid completed his 10,000 runs in Tests at the venue. He reached his milestone during his 111-run knock against South Africa in 2008.
Chennai is home to several renowned cricketers, including Ravichandran Ashwin, Shahrukh Khan, L Balaji, Murali Karthik, and Hemang Badani.