M. A. Chidambaram Stadium
Early years
In 1846, a cricket ground designed by Henry Irwin was established by Alexander Arbuthnot in the Chepauk palace grounds. In 1859, the Madras Presidency acquired the Chepauk palace from the Nawab of Carnatic. In 1865, a new pavilion was constructed and it became the home of the Madras Cricket Club (MCC). The original Chisholm pavilion located in the southwestern corner of the ground was badly damaged in a cyclone in 1889, and a new pavilion was constructed to replace the same in 1892. The new Irwin pavilion was built in Anglo-Indian architecture. The venue hosted a match between the touring Europeans versus the Indians Presidency in 1908. The stadium was formally established in 1916 when the presidency matches were planned as an annual event.
International venue
Chepauk hosted its first cricket test match in February 1934 during England's tour of India which was won by England. It is the second oldest international cricket stadium in India that is still in use after the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It subsequently hosted the first match of the inaugural Ranji Trophy between Madras and Mysore in November of the same year. In 1946, the first attempts were made to build a larger stadium by Anthony De Mello), which was accepted by the MCC subject to the approval of the Indian government. The stadium played host to the fifth test of the series when England toured India in 1951-52. In February 1952, India recorded its first-ever test win when it beat England by an innings and eight runs.
International venue
When M. A. Chidambaram became the president of the Madras Cricket Association (MCA) in 1956, the association wanted to occupy the ground permanently. However, the MCC was reluctant to loan the use of the ground, fearing that regular use would lead to deterioration of the facilities. Hence, after India's first test victory in 1952, test matches in Madras were hosted at the corporation stadium) till January 1967. When the 30-year lease of the stadium held by the MCC ended in 1966, the MCA obtained the least from the Madras government.
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