Eden Gardens in Kolkata is easily the biggest cricket ground in the country and one of the biggest grounds in the world. Earlier known to have a capacity of more than a hundred thousand, it can now accomodate 90,000 owing to renovations.

Eden Gardens hosted its first ever Test match in 1934 when India played England. The Douglas Jardine-led English side managed to draw the game against the Indian side. After five successive draws, Eden Gardens finally saw a result when Australia beat India in 1956.

In 1987, Eden Gardens hosted its first-ever ODI against Pakistan, and India's arch-rivals went on to beat the hosts by a couple of wickets with three balls to spare thanks to Saleem Malik's 72 runs in 36 balls. India has played Pakistan thrice on this ground but has yet to win a single game, whereas Pakistan has played here on five occasions and lost only once. South Africa played its first-ever ODI - on their return to the international cricketing fraternity - in 1991, and saw Allan Donald scalp five wickets in a match that was a lost cause. The Proteas were involved in another close encounter in the semi-final of the Hero Cup when Sachin Tendulkar bowled India to a two-run victory thanks to an excellent last over.

India has also seen some good times on this venue. Most notable was the comeback win against the Aussies who had won 16 games in a row and looked set to clinch their 17th. VVS Laxman entered the record books by batting out the fourth day of the game together with his partner, Rahul Dravid, both scoring huge centuries. In the same game, Harbhajan Singh became the first-ever Indian bowler to capture a hat-trick in a Test match.

Eden Gardens will play host to all seven home games for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the third edition of the Indian Premier League in 2010. Kolkata Knight Riders won four of the seven games that they played at the Eden Gardens during the first season of the IPL in 2008.