Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium

The guts and glory of Indian cricket - SilverKris

"A cavernous, 40,000-seat venue on the city’s eastern edge that, on match days, becomes a tangerine sea as devoted supporters don orange jerseys, flags and headscarves while passing vendors and face painters along the approach. The atmosphere is loud and theatrical — a nonstop soundtrack of Hindi, Telugu and English hits, film cries and cheerleaders — with fans of all ages and backgrounds (including girls in hijab and groups of schoolchildren) chanting for players such as Yusuf Pathan and pressing to the boundary to get closer to the action. The home crowd’s passion matches the team’s ambitions: established stars like Shikhar Dhawan and captain Kane Williamson smash sixes as overseas recruits such as Shakib Al Hasan settle in, win praise for the warm reception (and the local biryani and kebabs), and help produce memorable performances. From the queues and face-paint stalls outside to the rousing in-stadium rituals and a coach who stresses keeping morale high, match nights here feel like a locally flavored carnival that celebrates both cricketing spectacle and communal fandom." - Bhavya Dore