Having not hosted a Test match for over five years, Nagpur has been compensated fittingly with the first of a four-match Test series between India and Australia. It will be in less than 24 hours from now that the city will be hosting what is doubtlessly the first high-profile Test match of 2023.
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India, who’ve participated in each of the six Test matches played here in the past, have maintained a fantastic record on the back of winning five and losing a lone match.
Australia, meanwhile, had lost their only Test at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. Played almost one-and-a-half-decade ago, former India captain Sourav Ganguly’s final Test match was the first one to be played at this stadium. No player part of the current squads had played that match in 2008.
That being said, it is noteworthy that Australia had an unbeaten record at the Vidarbha C.A. Ground (hosted 23 international matches between 1969-2007) in the city. Interestingly, back in 2004, Australia’s penultimate Test win in India had also come at this particular stadium only.
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium Test records
Highest Test run-scorers at the VCA Stadium are Virender Sehwag (357), Virat Kohli (354), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (339), Hashim Amla (293) and Sachin Tendulkar (291). A list of best batters here among active cricketers has been provided below:
| Batters | Matches | Runs | Highest | Average | 100 | 50 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 3 | 353 | 213 | 88.5 | 2 | 0 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara (IND) | 3 | 221 | 143 | 55.25 | 1 | 0 |
| Rohit Sharma (AUS) | 2 | 127 | 102* | 63.5 | 1 | 0 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 1 | 93 | 73 | 93 | 0 | 1 |
| Wriddhiman Saha (IND) | 3 | 76 | 36 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
#bgt ready 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/hY5IXlidq0
— Jaydev Unadkat (@JUnadkat) February 7, 2023
Highest wicket-takers in Tests played at this venue are Ravichandran Ashwin (23), Ishant Sharma (19), Harbhajan Singh (13), Ravindra Jadeja (12) and Jason Krejza (12). A list of active bowlers with most Test wickets at this stadium has been given below:
| Bowlers | Matches | Wickets | Average | SR | 5 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 3 | 23 | 17.08 | 40 | 2 |
| Ishant Sharma (IND) | 6 | 19 | 22.78 | 54.7 | 0 |
| Ravindra Jadeja (IND) | 3 | 12 | 22.33 | 69.5 | 0 |
| Amit Mishra (IND) | 3 | 9 | 31.66 | 73.7 | 0 |
| Simon Harmer (SA) | 1 | 5 | 28.4 | 54.4 | 0 |
Highest innings totals in Nagpur Tests
| Score | Overs | Team | Opposition | Year |
| 610/6d | 176.1 | India | Sri Lanka | 2017 |
| 566/8d | 165 | India | New Zealand | 2010 |
| 558/6d | 176 | South Africa | India | 2010 |
| 441 | 124.5 | India | Australia | 2008 |
| 355 | 134.4 | Australia | India | 2008 |
Innings total in excess of 600 runs has been registered only once in Nagpur Tests. Innings total less than 100 runs has also been registered only once here.
ALSO READ: India vs Australia Head-to-Head records in Test cricket
Readers must note that Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium has witnessed three innings wins thus far. As far as the highest successful run-chase is concerned, no team has ever been able to chase a target in a Test played at this venue.
