Home of the Deccan Chargers, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad is one of the youngest and most modern stadiums in India. Established in 2004, it was called ‘Visaka International Stadium', before getting its present name. It has since replaced Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium as the home ground of the Hyderabad Cricket Association.
Boasting state-of-the-art facilities, the venue, situated in Hyderabad's eastern suburb of Uppal, hosted its first ODI in 2005. On 12th November, 2010, by hosting the first drawn Test match between India and New Zealand, this stadium became the 101st Test Venue in the world. Built on 16 acres of land, the stadium accommodates an audience of 39,414.
It was at this very ground that Sachin Tendulkar scored a majestic 175 in a thrilling ODI match against Australia in 2009, albeit in a losing cause. In fact, in the three ODI games played at this venue by India, the hosts have always finished second best. The venue, however, holds fond memories for Mumbai Indian's Harbhajan Singh; the spinner slammed his second Test century here against New Zealand in November 2010.
