Sir Vivian Richards Stadium: Happy Memories For Both India & WI

Here’s a look at the how both India and West Indies have fared at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

Both India and West Indies will begin their campaign in the World Test Championship with the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound in Antigua on Thursday, 22 August.

The last and the only time India played at the venue was in 2016. The visitors had a great outing, registering a comfortable victory of an innings & 92 runs.

Not only India hosts West Indies also boast of a good record at the North Sound venue. The last time they play at the ground was against a strong England line-up. But the Jason Holder-led side tamed the English side with resounding win by 10 wickets.

The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is one of the newest cricket stadiums in the Caribbean. It replaced the popular Antigua Recreation Ground as the premier venue. Built for the 2007 World Cup, the ground hosted its first Test in 2008. Over the years, ground has made noise for the all wrong reasons. A Test match against England had to be abandoned after ten balls due to the sorry state of its outfield.

Here’s a look at the how both sides have fared at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium:

• Seven matches have been played by West Indies at this venue. West Indies have won three, lost one and drawn three.
• West Indies' triumphs have been - by 9 wickets vs New Zealand in 2012; by an innings and 219 runs vs Bangladesh in 2018 and by 10 wickets vs England in 2019.
• West Indies' only defeat at North Sound, Antigua being by an innings and 92 runs to India in 2016 - their biggest loss in Tests at home. The said appearance by India remains the only one in Tests at this venue.
• Thanks to 200 by captain Virat Kohli, 113 by Ravichandran Ashwin, 84 by Shikhar Dhawan and 53 by Amit Mishra, India registered 566 for eight wickets declared.

• Kohli's double century was the first by an Indian captain in an overseas Test, outstripping Mohammad Azharuddin's 192 against New Zealand at Auckland in 1989-90. The last instance when an Indian batsman had posted a double century outside Asia was Wasim Jaffer's 212 vs West Indies at St. John's in 2006.
• Kohli, at 27 years 259 days, was the youngest captain to post a double century in that at that time. He had become the third captain to register a double hundred against the West Indies in the Caribbean, joining England's Len Hutton (205 at Kingston in 1953-54) and Australia's Bobby Simpson (201 at Bridgetown in 1964-65).
• West Indies recorded 243 and 231, losing by an innings and 92 runs in July 2016.

• Ashwin (113 + 7/83 in the second innings) was adjudged the Man of the Match. He remains the only Indian bowler to produce a seven-wicket haul in the second innings when the opposition were asked to follow-on. His figures are the third best by an Indian spinner in Tests outside Asia.
• Ashwin is the third all-rounder to post a century and produce a seven-wicket haul in the same Test, joining Australia's Jack Gregory - 100 and 7 for 69 vs England at Melbourne in 1920-21 and England's Ian Botham (twice) - 108 and 8 for 34 vs Pakistan at Lord's in 1978 and 114 and 7 for 48 vs India at Mumbai in 1979-80.
• India's aforesaid win remains their biggest outside Asia at that time - their only victory by an innings against the West Indies in the Caribbean.