Almost every country is associated in the cricketing world with an iconic stadium. They endear to the fans and the players as well who are usually eager to make a mark at the venue with their performances. If it is Lord’s for England and MCG for Australia, Eden Gardens in Kolkata tops the list for India. The Eden Gardens played host to its very first Test way back in 1934 and went on to become only the second venue in the world to host a World Cup final in 1987.
Previously, the Eden Gardens had a seating capacity of over 100,000 which was then trimmed down to 66,000 following renovation before the 2011 World Cup. Despite the move, Eden Gardens is still the largest cricket stadium in the country and the second-largest in the world just behind MCG. It is currently the home venue for IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. Over the years, the stadium has witnessed some classic encounters across all formats of the game which will stand the test of time. We pick the best ten here:
Also read: Top 10 cricket matches at Wankhede Stadium
#10 India vs Pakistan - 2004 ODI
Another high-octane India-Pakistan clash at the Eden Gardens, another loss for India! This one-off platinum jubilee ODI in 2004 will be best remembered for Salman Butt's excellent composure at the age of 20 in just his sixth ODI against his side's biggest rivals.
Chasing a daunting 293 for victory, Butt began in positive fashion fetching boundaries at regular intervals. His partnership with Shoaib Malik almost took the game away from India at the halfway mark before the hosts managed to dismiss Malik for a well-made 61. Few overs later, luck was smiling on their side as Butt retired hurt on 68 as the match was once again back in balance.
Skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq though had other plans as he struck a majestic 75 and he had Butt for company, as the left-hander returned to the crease after Mohammad Yousuf's wicket to complete his century. Pakistan comfortably won with one over to spare.
Yuvraj Singh's belligerent 62-ball 78 earlier in the evening went in vain for India. There were also contributions from Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and hometown hero Sourav Ganguly as India posted 292 on the board, which proved to be a touch short in the end.
#9 India vs England - 2002 ODI
It was a case of another near miss for England in ODI cricket as Marcus Trescothick single-handedly brought them close to a win in the first match of the five-match ODI series at the Eden Gardens against the hosts. In a pulsating chase, Trescothick silenced the home crowd with some crisp hitting.
He was the only batsman to step up on the night for the visitors as the rest failed to stitch long partnerships with the left-hander. Trescothick was very severe against the spinners as well and went on to reach his second ODI hundred.
At 224 for 4 in the 36th over, England had the game in their bag with only 58 more runs required for the win but Javagal Srinath came back to remove the centurion and from thereon, wickets started tumbling as India sealed the win by 22 runs.
Dinesh Mongia was the chief architect in the first innings as he scored 71 at No.3 in the absence of Rahul Dravid. Vital contributions from Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar at the top and a 33-ball 35 from Hemang Badani in the end, helped India post 281 on the board.
#8 India vs England - 2012 Test
Not many times have India been outplayed in a Test match in their own territory in familiar conditions. But the visiting English team managed to do just that in order to take the upper hand in the Test series in 2012 which they eventually went on to win.
James Anderson who had been criticised prior to the series for having a moderate record in the subcontinent, found reverse swing to rattle the Indian batting lineup as they posted a modest 316 in the first innings. The English batsmen then put up a strong performance in reply led by skipper Alastair Cook who made a monumental 190 to bat the hosts out of the contest.
He was well supported by the likes of Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen as England took a lead of 207. Facing a daunting task, India succumbed under pressure yet again to be bowled out for 247 with Anderson and Steven Finn picking up three wickets each. A target of 41 was always going to be a walk in the park for any side as England won by seven wickets.
#7 India vs Sri Lanka - 2014 ODI
This is perhaps the most one-sided match present in this list but it is a match that went into the history books and in all likelihood will remain there for a long time. It was a match that witnessed one man score 264 runs in a 50-overs game. The opposition in reply managed to score only 251 which highlights India's dominance.
Initially struggling at 4 from 16, Rohit was handed a lifeline when Thisara Perera dropped him. And when you drop Rohit, he makes you pay as he showcased that evening by hitting a whooping 33 fours and 9 sixes en route to his mammoth double hundred in front of an awestruck Eden Gardens crowd.
He became the first and only batsman to register two double centuries in ODI cricket to help India go past 400. The contest was virtually dead when Sri Lanka lost their first four wickets with just 48 on the board by the 10th over.
#6 India vs England - 1973 Test
A typical Indian Test win at home this was, with the spinners dominating proceedings right from the word go. But England's resilience made it a tight contest with India managing to win by just 28 runs in the end when Tony Greig's fighting half-century seemed to swing the game towards his side's favour in the chase of 192.
But from 114 for 4, England collapsed to 163 all out as Bishen Singh Bedi picked up a five-wicket haul. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar on his part picked up four wickets after registering a five-wicket haul of his own in England's first innings.
The spinners accounted for all ten English wickets in the first innings to bundle them out for 174 in reply to India's 210. Farookh Engineer and Salim Durani were the only two half-centurions for India in the entire Test. India won the next Test at Chennai as well to win the series 2-1.
#5 West Indies vs England - 2016 World T20 Final
The most recent match from our memory makes it to the list at No.5 just for the dramatic finish it had. With the hosts and pre-tournament favourites India crashing out in the semis, the West Indies garnered a lot of support from Indian fans for the final against England and to their joy, the Windies gained an early upper hand by dismissing England's top three for just 23 on the board.
Joe Root, Jos Buttler and David Willey to an extent, in the end, helped England post a competitive 155 in the end as Dwayne Bravo chipped in with the ball again with three wickets.
Root came back with the ball to get rid of the dangerous Chris Gayle and his opening partner Johnson Charles in just the second over of the chase to stun the Windies. Hero of the semi-finals, Lendl Simmons was the next to go for a duck as England were completely on top by this time but Marlon Samuels stepped up again like he did in the 2012 final with an unbeaten half-century.
But the man who hit the headlines was Carlos Brathwaite who hit four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes in the final over in dramatic fashion to help his side win their second World T20 title.
#4 India vs Pakistan - 1999 Asian Test Championship
This amazing Test makes it to the list despite India finishing on the losing side. This Asian Test championship encounter will be best remembered for the Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar dismissing Rahul Dravid and Sachin off consecutive deliveries which by Dravid's own admission, changed the course of the Test.
Javagal Srinath's five-wicket haul restricted Pakistan to just 185 in the first innings but the home side couldn't make it count despite Sadagopan Ramesh's fighting 79 as India managed a lead of only 38 runs.
Saeed Anwar then produced a gem of an innings in Pakistan's second essay by managing to score 60% of his team's runs. He remained unbeaten on 188 as his side set India a target of 279 to win the Test.
When Ramesh and VVS Laxman put on more than 100 for the first wicket, the victory looked like a mere formality. But Sachin and Dravid perished cheaply yet again to open the doors for Pakistan to sneak through and win by 46 runs.
#3 India vs South Africa - 1993 Hero Cup semifinal
This was perhaps the most famous Indian victory in limited-overs cricket from the 1990s. India remarkably defended 195 against South Africa to progress to the Hero Cup final as Sachin Tendulkar delivered with the ball for a change.
Earlier, skipper Mohammad Azharuddin had almost scored half of the team's runs with an 118-ball 90 to rescue India from a precarious situation. Chasing 196 for a place in the final, South Africa were cruising at 106 for 3 at one stage.
What seemed to be an easy ride suddenly became a herculean task as the Proteas lost their next four wickets in quick succession for the addition of just 39 more runs. In the end, it all boiled down to six from the final over with two wickets left.
Azhar surprised one and all by handing the ball to Sachin despite Manoj Prabhakar and Javagal Srinath having two overs left. The little master delivered though by bowling a tight over in which he conceded only 3 runs. India had scripted nerve wracking two-run win.
#2 Australia vs England - 1987 World Cup final
A rare instance of a match not featuring India makes the cut very high up on the list. And it was a contest between two fierce rivals for the biggest prize in the sport. Australia faced England in the World Cup final in 1987 and emerged victorious to win their first world title.
The match lived up to its billing as it was closely fought until the end before the Australians held their nerve to win by seven runs. Aided by David Boon's patient 75 and Mike Veletta's quickfire unbeaten 45 towards the end, Australia posted 253 on the board batting first.
Some strong performances from the middle order trio of Bill Athey, skipper Mike Gatting and Allan Lamb put England in the driver's seat during the chase as they were comfortably stationed at 170 for 3 at one stage. But the opposition skipper Allan Border and Steve Waugh plotted their downfall by picking up crucial wickets to eke out the tense win in the end.
#1 India vs Australia - 2001 Test
No surprises here! The classic between India and Australia in 2001, which is widely remembered as India's greatest Test win, ranks right on top of this list. After losing the first Test of the series by a resounding margin, India were under the pump against the World No.1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata as well as they were asked to follow on.
But what followed was an outstanding piece of batsmanship from VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid as they were involved in a triple century stand and batted throughout the fourth day to turn the tables.
Laxman registered the then highest individual Test score for an Indian batsman and was dismissed 19 short of a triple century while Dravid made 180. Chasing 384 on the final day at a packed Eden, Australia succumbed to 212 all out from 106 for 1. Harbhajan Singh took 13 wickets in the match including a hat-trick in the first innings.
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