The Greenfield International Stadium is a multi-purpose venue mainly used for cricket and association football located at Kariavattom in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala.
Formerly known as the Trivandrum International Stadium, the Greenfield Cricket Stadium is constructed on 36 acres of land leased by the Kerala University for an amount of ₹94 lakh (US$146,527.23) annually for a time period of 15 years.
With a seating capacity of 55,000 spectators, the Greenfield International Stadium became India’s 50th international cricket venue when it staged its first international match - a T20 international between India and New Zealand. Under the leadership of Virat Kohli, India won the match by six runs.
In 2018, Greenfield International Stadium hosted its first ODI between India and West Indies. The hosts thrashed the Caribbean team by nine wickets in that fixture.
The last time India played a T20I at Thiruvananthapuram in 2022, visitors South Africa were beaten by eight wickets by the Men in Blue.
Interestingly, the venue has been developed in line with FIFA guidelines and International Cricket Council standards.
The world-class venue has been divided into zones - north zones to be used for cricket, the east zone has been dedicated to football while the south zone features shopping malls and food courts. On the other hand, the West Zone comprises modern facilities including an Olympic size swimming pool and courts for volleyball, squash, table tennis and basketball.
Let’s have a look at the T20I records at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram.
Greenfield International Stadium T20I records and stats
Highest total: West Indies’ 173/2 against India is the highest T20I total at this ground. Chasing a target of 171 in 2019, West Indies rode on openers Lendl Simmons’ unbeaten 67 off 45 balls, Evin Lewis’ 35-ball 40 followed by a blitzkrieg cameo of unbeaten 18-ball 38 from Nicholas Pooran to chase down the total in 18.3 overs. Earlier, Shivam Dube’s 54 off 30 balls and Rishabh Pant’s 33 not out off 22 balls powered India to 170/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
Lowest total: New Zealand’s 61/6 against India in a rain-curtailed match in 2017 is the lowest T20I total at the Greenfield International Stadium. Put into bat, Manish Pandey’s 11-ball 17, Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 10-ball 14 and captain Virat Kohli’s 6-ball 13 helped India post 67/5 in an eight-overs-a-side game. In reply, New Zealand were restricted to 61/6 in their eight overs and India won the match by six runs.
Highest individual score: West Indies batter Lendl Simmons has recorded the highest individual score at this venue in 2019. Opening the batting, Simmons smashed 67 runs not out off just 45 balls to guide his side to a convincing eight-wicket victory. Simmons’ inning was laced with four fours and as many sixes.
Best bowling figures: Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh has the best bowling figures at this ground in T20I cricket. The left-arm pacer picked three wickets for 32 runs in four overs against South Africa in 2022. His spell restricted the Proteas to 106/8 in their 20 overs, allowing an easy chase for India. The Men in Blue won the match by eight wickets and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series as Arshdeep was adjudged the Player of the Match.
Most runs: Lendl Simmons has also scored the most runs at this ground in T20I format. The West Indies opening batter has scored 67 runs at a strike rate of 148.88. India’s KL Rahul is second in the list with 62 runs.
Most wickets: India's Arshdeep Singh has bagged the most wickets at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram in the shortest format. The Indian fast bowler has picked three wickets at this venue at an economy of 8 runs per over and an average of 10.66.
Highest partnership: Indian batters KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav boast the highest partnership at this venue in T20I cricket. The duo forged an unbeaten 93-run partnership for the third wicket against South Africa in 2022. They did so while chasing a target of 107 set by the Proteas. KL Rahul made an unbeaten 51, while Suryakumar Yadav was 50 not out as India won by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Featured photo: MANJUNATH KIRAN / AFP
