Why Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla Is Not Just A Playground

They say cricket is a religion in India and people worship cricketers as gods here. Cricket is the glue that binds the entire nation in one theme. Every aspiring cricketer hopes to perform before massive Indian crowds and give his absolute best in the field. And, when the venue of performance is as iconic as the Feroz Shah Kotla, the level of adrenaline rush gets doubled. Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla is the stadium where veteran cricketer Anil Kumble took 10 wickets in an innings; it is also the breeding ground of Indian cricket superstars such as Virendra Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan.

As the stadium was recently in the news for being the centre of a spat between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, PropGuide lists out some of the lesser-known facts about the iconic ground:

• Established in 1883, the Kotla ground is the second oldest international cricket stadium functional in India, after the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It was earlier known as Willingdon Pavilion. 

• The ground's name has been derived from the Emperor of Delhi, Feroz Shah Tughlaq, who ruled from 1351 to 1388. During the British Raj, the Englishmen built Willingdon Pavilion to play cricket, according to a report by The Hindu. 

• The ground has a seating capacity of 41,820, and a playing area of 65 square yards. 

• The Indian cricket team has been undefeated for over 28 years in Test matches in the ground as of 2015. 

• Reconstruction of the stadium was carried out from 2002-2007 at the cost of Rs 114 crore, the Indian Express reported citing documents provided by the Aam Aadmi Party. 

• The Delhi & District Cricket Association runs a resto-bar, Outswinger, within the stadium premises.