The Rajiv Gandhi Stadium is one of the most prominent cricket stadiums that the country has seen. Established in 2003, the stadium has been home to many epic battles among the titans of cricket. It is known by many as Hyderabad Cricket Stadium, the location has hosted Indian cricket teams. In addition, Hyderabad state teams, and since the 2008 IPL began, two franchises based in Hyderabad have called it home. They are the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the now-defunct Deccan Chargers.
Rajiv Gandhi Stadium Pitch- History
The Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, the city’s older stadium, was owned by the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh, meaning that the Hyderabad Cricket Association had little authority over the field.
The Hyderabad Cricket Association submitted a proposal for a new stadium in 2003, and it was approved with funding set aside for building a brand-new, cutting-edge facility in the city. The stadium was formerly known as Visaka International Cricket Stadium. Still, the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister renamed it Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in honor of the former prime minister of India.
India has hosted seven One-Day Internationals (ODIs) at this stadium as of March 2023, winning four. They lost the first three ODIs at this stadium, so they had to wait until 2011 to record their first victory. The team has, however, fared better in Test matches, winning four of the five that have been played here. India and New Zealand played in the first Test match, which was hosted in 2010 and ended in a draw. Harbhajan Singh, who had scored a century on the track himself, attacked the pitch, saying it was not helpful to the bowlers.
Rajiv Gandhi Stadium – Stadium Information
Nearly 50,000 people can fit in the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, which is about 25,000 more than the previous stadium in the city could hold. The stadium is also lovingly known by the residents as Uppal Stadium because it is situated in the Uppal neighborhood of the city. Pavilion End and North End are the stadium’s two bowling ends. Several Hyderabad-born cricket players who represented India have memorial stands named after them. M.L. Jaisimha, Arshad Ayub, and Abbas Ali Baig are a few of them. In the stadium bearing their names are even stands dedicated to Mohammed Azharuddin and VVS Laxman.
Rajiv Gandhi Stadium Pitch Conditions
Rajiv Gandhi Stadium being the host of so many epic matches, raises a curiosity for the pitch conditions to be analyzed and studied. In this section, we will be looking at the various aspects of what makes the pitch a favorite for the cricketers.
The average score on the pitches in T20 cricket since 2018 has been in the mid-160s, so while it’s not as low and slow as the pitches in Kolkata and Chennai, it does favor the bowlers more. While spinners are more economical, pacers frequently take more wickets in this situation. Before the 2023 season started, the Hyderabad team had won 30 of the 44 Indian T20 League games played here. This shows how well they have been able to take advantage of the home field.
Good playing conditions make it a heaven for batters and bowlers evenly. We will check out the reasons why it is so:
Batsman’s Support: Increase the number of batsmen and batting all-rounders in your lineup if the pitch is more batsman-friendly.
Support for bowlers: Increase the number of bowlers and bowling all-rounders in your lineup if the pitch is more bowler-friendly.
Pace Friendly: Similar to this, if the pitch is pace-friendly, it indicates that pacers are preferred more, so you should include more pacers in your lineup than spinners.
Spin Friendly: You should select more spinners than pacers in your lineup if the pitch is spin-friendly, which indicates that the pitch is more in favor of spinners.
Rajiv Gandhi Stadium Pitch Trivia: Although India lost the match, Sachin Tendulkar’s 175 in an ODI against Australia in 2009 still stands as the highest score by an Indian in a losing cause.
On this field, Yuvraj Singh amassed two centuries: one against Australia and the other against South Africa. But both blows were in losing causes.
Rajiv Gandhi Stadium Pitch Stats
Test Stats
Total matches | 6 |
Matches won batting first | 3 |
Matches won bowling first | 2 |
Average 1st Inns scores | 378 |
Average 2nd Inns scores | 387 |
Average 3rd Inns scores | 241 |
Average 4th Inns scores | 148 |
Highest total recorded | 687/6 (166 Ov) by IND vs BAN |
Lowest total recorded | 127/10 (46.1 Ov) by WI vs IND |
ODI Stats
Total matches | 10 |
Matches won batting first | 6 |
Matches won bowling first | 4 |
Average 1st Inns scores | 296 |
Average 2nd Inns scores | 261 |
Highest total recorded | 350/4 (50 Ov) by AUS vs IND |
Lowest total recorded | 174/10 (36.1 Ov) by ENG vs IND |
Highest score chased | 345/4 (48.2 Ov) by PAK vs SL |
Lowest score defended | 290/7 (50 Ov) by AUS vs IND |
T20 Stats
Total matches | 2 |
Matches won bowling first | 2 |
Average 1st Inns scores | 196 |
Average 2nd Inns scores | 198 |
Highest total recorded | 209/4 (18.4 Ov) by IND vs WI |
Highest score chased | 209/4 (18.4 Ov) by IND vs WI |
Rajiv Gandhi Stadium Pitch – Trivia Questions
We will look at some of the most asked trivia questions regarding the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.
How many IPL matches were hosted at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium?
The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has hosted 78 IPL games so far. There have been 34 victories for the team batting first and 42 for the pursuing team. There was a tie in one match.
What characteristics does the Rajiv Gandhi pitch have?
It is well known that the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has a level surface and that the pitch will aid the spinners. The team winning the toss should ideally consider fielding first because of Hyderabad’s dew factor.
What is the highest total score at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium?
At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, the highest score in an inning is currently 277/3, achieved by the Sunrisers (SRH) against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2024 Indian Premier League. In IPL history, it is also the highest score.
What is the lowest total at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium?
The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium’s lowest-ever score was 80, achieved by the Delhi Daredevils (now the Delhi Capitals) in a 2013 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Summary
This is all the information that is available regarding the pitch report for Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. In addition to the pitch report, we have presented various stats and trivia of the stadium. You can also go through the history of the pitch if you are an enthusiast. If you are an avid bettor, you must be aware of the pitch conditions before placing a bet. It is essential since the kind of pitch used for the match will determine how it plays out in the end. Therefore, we hope you have made this article useful for your upcoming online sports betting ventures. For more such articles, visit Exchmarket.