Know more about Mohali cricket stadium

New Delhi: One of the finest cricket grounds in India, the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali set the standards when it came to facilities for players and spectators alike, since its establishment in 1993. With a swimming pool, good practice wickets, tennis courts, an in-house gymnasium and good dressing room facilities, this is one stadium cricketers wouldn't want to miss. One of the specialties of this stadium is its lights. The lights are quite unconventional and uncommon than other international cricket grounds. The pillars of the floodlights are very low compared to other stadiums. Actually, the light posts are strategically placed to avoid any collision with the aircrafts since Mohali airport is located nearby. The stadium took three years to complete and nearly 25 crore Indian rupees were spent on the constructions of the stadium. The stadium is the 19th and a relatively new Test cricket venue in India. The pitch has a reputation for being lively and supporting pace bowlers, however in recent days it has slowed down and assists spin bowling as well. It was inaugurated with a One Day International match between India and South Africa during the Hero Cup on 22 November 1993.The first Test match here was held the following season, between India and West Indies on 10 December 1994. The highest test score of this stadium is 319 by Virender Sehwag. In 1997 in the Independence Cup, Saeed Anwar played a record-breaking innings of 194 against India. In 1999, when Pakistan team performed brilliantly well, the audience gave a standing ovation to the team. So far, England has scored the highest team total of 652 runs against India. Rahul Dravid hit his 10000th Test runs at this stadium. There have also been some cracking one-dayers played on this ground, the most thrilling being the World Cup semi-final in 1996 when Australia squeezed past West Indies in a nail-biting finish. PCA stadium hosted 3 matches of 2011 world cup including the nail biting second Semi-final match between India and Pakistan on 30 March 2011 which was eventually won by India.