Established: 1883
Formerly known as: Willingdon Pavilion
Capacity: 40 000
Floodlights: Yes
Ends: Stadium End, Pavilion End
Home Team: Delhi
Chief Curator: Radheshyam Sharma
Test History: 29 Tests; 10 home wins; 6 away wins; 13 draws
Last 10 Tests: 7 home wins; 2 away wins; 1 draw
Last 10 Tosses: 10 bat first (3 wins; 6 losses; 1 draw)

Overview

A formidable fortress with high stands most of the way around the ground, the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium is named after the emperor who ruled Delhi from 1351 to 1388 and the old Kotla ruins can be seen just behind the Willingdon stand.

The venue has the distinction of hosting the first-ever Test match in post-independent India in 1948, having been built during the days of the British Raj by Englishmen who wanted to play cricket on the outskirts of the city, and the pavilion was inaugurated by His Excellency, The Right Honourable Earl of Willingdon on February 10, 1933.

Slow and extensive renovations have transformed the ground into a more modern stadium without removing any of the old charm, so while most of the stands have been altered the old Willingdon stand remains.

The ground is most famous for Anil Kumble's 'Perfect 10' after the Indian leg-spinner picked up all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan in 1999, but it was also the venue where Geoff Boycott surpassed Gary Sobers' world record Test aggregate and where Sunil Gavaskar scored his 29th Test hundred to equal Don Bradman's record for most centuries.

The pitch is known for being low and slow and generous to batsmen on the opening days, so in the 29 matches played here not a single team have opted to bowl first after winning the toss. That's not always a precursor to victory though, as evidenced by the records above.

Last time out

Anil Kumble's worth to the Indian side may be questionable at present, but it was never in doubt after Pakistan visited here in November last year. In his first Test at the Indian helm, Kumble returned match figures of seven for 108 as the hosts swept to victory by six wickets.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Pakistan were bowled out for just 231 by the second morning as Kumble took four for 38 and Misbah-ul-Haq provided the only resistance, batting with the tail-enders as he notched up 82.

India didn't make the best start in reply, but VVS Laxman's unbeaten 72 and MS Dhoni's 57 ensured that they secured a 45-run lead on the first innings. Danish Kaneria showed that the pitch favoured spinners even early in the match as he took four for 59.

Pakistan made a solid start to their second innings before Kumble scalped their top three batsmen and Zaheer Khan, Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh picked up two wickets apiece as the tourists were restricted to 247, leaving India with a victory target of 203.

That looked a decent ask in the fourth innings but Wasim Jaffer (53) and Rahul Dravid (34) dug in before Sachin Tendulkar finished the task with 56 not out, Ganguly weighing in with 48.

Happy Hunting Ground

As at many Indian grounds Anil Kumble has enjoyed remarkable success here, picking up 55 wickets in six Tests at an average of 15.41.

Harbhajan Singh's record isn't too bad either - he's taken 18 wickets in four Tests at an average of 24.61.

India's batsmen all have sound averages here, except for Sachin Tendulkar. He's averaged just 44 in seven Test matches here, which is less than Virender Sehwag (74 from just one innings), Sourav Ganguly (60.55), Rahul Dravid (58.66), VVS Laxman (54.75) and MS Dhoni (56.50).

Weather Forecast

Winter is moving in but it's still very warm here in Delhi. The forecast predicts low 30s for every day of the Test with no rain, but another factor altogether could be the smog. Pollution in Delhi is bad enough on any given day, but with India celebrating Diwali on Tuesday the fireworks that will light up the sky all day and night could leave us with poor visibility on Wednesday morning.

Conclusion

Whoever calls correctly at the toss will have a bat to avoid the prodigious turn on a crumbling day five pitch. The track is always on the slow side and offers pacers very little assistance at the start, but aids the spinners more and more as the match progresses.

India have won their last seven Tests here and so it would take a brave man to bet on any other result, particularly after their mauling of Australia in Mohali.

There was still a bit of grass on the wicket on Monday morning but the general expectation is that it will be shaved off before play gets underway, allowing the dry surface to crumble.

In Mohali it was the reverse swing that was Australia's undoing but expect the spinners to have more of an impact here. If India can get both reverse swing and mean turn going then we could be in for further carnage, unless the Aussies really have got their house in order over the week-long break.

Tristan Holme