Barabati Stadium - Cuttack

The Barabati Stadium is a cricket venue in the east Indian city of Cuttack, Odisha. It is home ground of Odisha cricket team and is operated by Orissa Cricket Association. The Barabati Stadium is one of the older grounds in India, having hosted several touring sides – including the MCC, the West Indies team and the Australians - before it hosted its first international match. It is equipped with floodlights for day-and-night games and is a regular venue for One Day Internationals (ODI) matches. The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack hosted only the third One Day International in this country, in January 1982, when India put it across England by five wickets to lift the series 2-1. In the first Test match here five seasons later, the Sri Lankans were greeted with an underprepared wicket affording vastly unpredictable bounce. Dilip Vengsarkar, then at the most dizzying heights of his career, made his highest Test score of 166, his fourth century in eight Tests, when no other batsman on either side crossed 60. The Lankans were rolled over twice as India seized an innings and 67-run victory. Kapil Dev bagged his 300th Test victim, bowling Rumesh Ratnayake with a ball that failed to sit up. The only other Test match here, against New Zealand in 1995-96, was badly affected by rain, affording less than 180 overs of playing time. Narendra Hirwani, on a comeback trail, took 6 for 59 in New Zealand's only innings, the best bowling figures here. Visiting sides have in the past sometimes expressed their qualms about having to travel from Bhubaneshwar, an hour's drive away, because of the lack of an airport and of quality accommodation in Cuttack. Though it isn’t one of the regular Test venues anymore, it continues to enjoy the status of international venue and hosts One-Day Internationals regularly. India have won one of the two Test matches played here, and have a 9-4 win-loss record in ODIs. The Barabati Stadium is an adopted home venue for the Indian Premier League franchise Deccan Chargers. It hosted two of the seven home games of Deccan Chargers during the 2010 season of the Indian Premier League. Chargers Came out with thumping victories in both matches. Andrew Symonds was judged Man of the Match on both occasions.