EDEN GARDENS

 Capacity: 90,000 Kolkata,India

Eden Gardens became a test location in 1934 when Douglas Jardine led his team on to the pitch. Despite its somewhat chequered history, the one constant about the ground is the enthusiasm of the crowds it attracts. Riots disrupted matches against the West Indies (1966-67) and Australia (1969-70) and the World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka (1996) was cancelled. In 1999, leading Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar was run out after colliding with Pakistan's Shoaib Akhter The crowd thought that Akhtar had impeded Tendulkar and rioted, forcing the police to evict the spectators. The match continued in front of an empty stadium.

However positive memories haunt the ground too, such as in March 2001 when VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid staged an impressive come-from-behind victory against an Australian team poised for an unprecedented 17th straight Test win.