Known as the ‘Mecca of Indian Cricket,’ the Eden Gardens is the oldest cricket stadium in the country. Built in 1864 during the British Raj, the Eden Gardens also remained the largest cricket ground in India and Asia and the second-largest ground in the world, until the new Narendra Modi Stadium was inaugurated in Motera in February 2021.
However, the Eden Gardens has a rich history. Having hosted its first Test in 1934, the venue has witnessed some iconic matches over the years, like the 1987 ICC World Cup final, the 1996 ICC World Cup semi-final, the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 final and many more.
From India’s historic Test comeback against Australia in 2001 to Carlos Brathwaite’s unparalleled solo effort against Ben Stokes in the 2016 ICC T20I World Cup final, the 66,000 capacity stadium has witnessed magical moments too.
Here, we look at the T20I and the Indian T20 League records made at this iconic venue.
Eden Gardens T20I records
Highest total: The highest total in a T20I match at the Eden Gardens is 201/5 in 20 overs by Pakistan. The Men in Green racked up the total against Bangladesh in a group stage match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2016. Pakistan won that match by 55 runs.
Lowest total: The Bangladesh cricket team has the forgettable record of scoring the lowest total at the Eden Gardens. Chasing a target of 146 runs against New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016, the Bangla Tigers were wrapped up for just 70 runs.
Highest individual score: West Indies' Marlon Samuels boasts of the highest individual score at the Eden Gardens with an unbeaten 85 against England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 final. Samuels' knock helped West Indies lift their second T20 World Cup title.
Best bowling figures: Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman's spell of 5/22 are the best bowling figures at the Eden Gardens. The left-arm seamer's efforts though went in vain as Bangladesh were bundled out for just 70 runs in the chase of 146.
Highest partnership: West Indies' Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell are the players with the highest partnership in T20Is at Eden Gardens. They put on a 100-run stand for the third wicket in a match against India in February 2022. Unfortunately for the Windies, it wasn't enough for them to win the clash as they succumbed to a eight-run defeat while chasing a 187-run target.
Eden Gardens T20 records
Highest total: The highest total in a T20 match at the Eden Gardens is 235/3 in 20 overs by Uttar Pradesh in the 2017-18 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Electing to bat first against Bengal, UP lost their openers cheaply but engineered a fight-back thanks to skipper Suresh Raina. UP eventually won the match by 75 runs.
Highest individual score: Uttar Pradesh's Suresh Raina's unbeaten 59-ball 126 against Bengal is the highest individual score in a T20 match at the Eden Gardens. Raina's ton enabled UP to trounce Bengal by 75 runs.
Best bowling figures: Assam's Pritam Das' 5/9 against Tripura in an Inter-State Twenty-20 Tournament game are the best bowling figures at the Eden Gardens. Das' efforts enabled Assam to dismiss Tripura for 85 runs and comfortably win the match by seven-wickets win with 47 balls to spare.
Eden Gardens Indian T20 League records
Most runs: Gautam Gambhir's 1,407 runs in the Indian T20 League at Eden Gardens are the most runs by a player at the iconic venue. Out of his tally of 4,217 runs in the Indian T20 League, the southpaw managed to score 33 per cent of his runs at Eden Gardens alone.
Most wickets: Sunil Narine with 58 wickets has accounted for most dismissals at the Eden Gardens in Indian T20 League.
Highest individual score: Rajat Patidar has the highest individual score in the Indian T20 League at Eden Gardens. He scored 112 not out from 54 balls to help Team Bangalore post 207/4 against Team Lucknow in the 2022 edition of the Indian T20 League. Team Bangalore won the game by 14 runs.
Highest partnership: Team Mumbai's Herschelle Gibbs and skipper Rohit Sharma forged an unbeaten 167-run partnership for the second wicket against Kolkata in the 2012 Indian T20 League. It remains the highest T20 partnership at the Eden Gardens to date.
Lowest total: Team Bangalore holds the forgettable record of scoring the lowest total at Eden Gardens. Their score of 49 all out is also the lowest score in the Indian T20 League. Chasing a target of 132 runs against Kolkata, Bangalore was bundled out in just 9.4 overs with skipper Virat Kohli being dismissed for a golden duck.
Best bowling figures: Kolkata’s Sunil Narine holds the record of the best bowling figures at Eden Gardens in the Indian T20 League. Playing against Punjab in 2012, Narine returned with figures of 5/19 in his four overs, scalping the wickets of Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh, Bipul Sharma, Praveen Kumar, and Harmeet Singh to restrict Punjab to a paltry score of 134 runs. However, Kolkata ended up on the losing side by a narrow margin of two runs.
Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Punit Paranjpe
