The MA Chidambaram Stadium, popularly known as Chepauk, is the second-oldest cricket stadium in India. Established in 1916, it is the home of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association in India’s domestic cricket circuit. Team Chennai in the Indian T20 League also play their home games at this venue. 

Chepauk hosted the Pongal Test every year from 1960 to 1988. Many greats have played at this iconic venue, piling up records and delighting fans with memorable performances. Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Karun Nair, and Virender Sehwag are among the players who have had some record-breaking moments at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

India and Australia featured in the first One-day International (ODI) at the venue on October 9, 1987 - 53 years after the first Test. The Aussies won a thrilling encounter by one run, despite local favourite Kris Srikkanth’s valiant batting efforts.

Over the years, Chepauk has hosted multiple riveting World Cup matches along with a high-scoring Afro-Asia Cup in 2007. 

Overall, the MA Chidambaram Stadium has hosted more than 30 ODIs. With that in mind, here's a look at the MA Chidambaram Stadium ODI records and stats.

MA Chidambaram Stadium ODI records and stats

Most runs

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli has scored the most runs in ODIs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The swashbuckling batter smashed 422 runs in only nine matches while representing India. Kohli has an average of 46.88, backed by a strike rate of 82.74 at the venue in this format. He's struck four fifties and one hundred at the venue with his highest score being 138.

Most wickets

Bangladesh cricketer Mohammad Rafique has picked up eight wickets in three matches at Chepauk, the most by any player in ODIs. While he bowled at an economy rate of 5.73, Rafique averaged only 21.50 runs per wicket here.

Ajit Agarkar, meanwhile, scalped seven wickets in three ODIs at Chepauk, ranking him second overall in this list. Morne Morkel and Harbhajan Singh have registered seven wickets too, but Agarkar’s incredible average of 11.28 puts him higher on the wicket-taking chart.

Highest team total

Asia XI has recorded the highest ODI team total at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The team headlined by MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag scored 337/7 in the Afro-Asia Cup on June 9, 2007. After a complete batting performance, Dilhara Fernando helped restrict Africa XI 31 runs short of the target.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s 327/5 and India’s 299/8 are the highest team scores at Chepauk by a single nation. 

Lowest team total

Kenya was bowled out for merely 69 runs against New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. It still stands as the lowest team total in ODIs at Chepauk. Hamish Bennett bowled a match-winning spell of 4/16 for the Kiwis, who won by 10 wickets.

The Indian cricket team’s lowest score at the venue is 227/6, which they stitched against Pakistan in December 2012. Despite MS Dhoni’s 125-ball 113, Misbah-ul-Haq's side won the encounter by six wickets.

Highest partnership

Mahela Jayawardene and MS Dhoni registered the highest partnership in ODIs at Chepauk, stitching 218 runs for the sixth-wicket for Asia XI in June 2007. Both batters scored centuries, guiding the Asian team to a victorious total of 331/8.

West Indies pair Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer, too, stitched together a 218-run stand for the second wicket against India in December 2019. Hetmyer, who starred with a 106-ball 139, helped the Windies chase down 288 with 13 balls to spare.

Average first innings score

The average first innings score after more than 30 ODIs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium is 230. The pitch tends to support batters early on, while spinners come into the game in the latter half of the innings. 

Seamers, meanwhile, get help under lights in day-night matches in windy conditions. The average second innings score, thus, drops down to 210.

Highest individual score

Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar famously scored 194 runs off just 146 balls in the Pepsi Independence Cup in May 1997. The knock remains the highest individual ODI score at Chepauk to date. It not only helped Pakistan win the game by 35 runs but also guaranteed them a place in the final.

MS Dhoni and Shimron Hetmyer’s knocks of 139 in June 2007 and December 2019, respectively, complete the top three.

Best bowling figures

West Indies’ Ravi Rampaul and Pakistan’s Aaqib Javed are the only two players with five-wicket hauls in a match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Rampaul takes the top spot after his spell of 5/51 in March 2011, bettering Javed’s 5/61 in May 1997.

Stuart Broad, Ajit Agarkar, and Hamish Bennett headline the list of 12 cricketers with four-fors at Chepauk in the 50-over format.

Photo credits: Alamy