The eyes of the cricketing fraternity are firmly cast upon the upcoming Test series between India and Australia as the hosts look to continue their impressive run at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. With a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June up for grabs, both India and Australia will look to wind down the clocks we take a look at their impressive numbers in the Orange City of India.
India‘s numbers at VCA
Overall, India has played six Test matches at the new VCA stadium which is the successor of the old stadium where the Aussies played in 2004. India first played at the venue in 2008 against the Aussies and have since established the stadium as a fortress. In six matches, the Indian team has won four occasions while losing only once in February 2010 against South Africa.
Led by MS Dhoni in the fourth Test in 2008, the match at the VCA saw former India captain Sourav Ganguly bid farewell to world cricket. While India won the match, it was the second time MS Dhoni-led India in the format as they won the match by 172 runs and thereby the series by 2-0. The recently retired Murali Vijay also made his debut in the same match.
India’s last Test encounter at the stadium came in November 2017 where they beat Sri Lanka by an inning and 239 runs and will look to do the same in the first Test. In November 2010, India beat New Zealand while their only draw at the venue came in December 2012, where England managed to salvage a draw and would therefore win the series 2-1 on Indian soil.
India have won the toss on just two occasions in a Test match at the VCA, and have won both encounters. Interestingly, no team has been successful in chasing the target in the second innings and will need to make history if they are asked to bat in the fourth innings at the VCA Stadium.
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Australia’s memories in Nagpur
Australia though will draw happy memories from the Nagpur Test in 2004 which was played at the old stadium. The Aussies, thanks to Damien Martyn’s match-winning knocks in both innings won the Nagpur Test and ended their 35-year wait to win a Test series on Indian soil in 2004. By winning the Nagpur Test, the Baggy Greens had an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
On the flip side, India also have an unforgettable memory at the venue having lost to South Africa in the 2011 ODI World Cup. The defeat in Nagpur was India’s only of the tournament before they clinched glory in Mumbai, a month later.
The first Test match between India and Australia will start at 9:30 AM on Thursday (February 9).
