About I.S. Bindra Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
The Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali is also known as the IS Bindra Stadium. It is one of the unique cricket grounds in India as it has very low floodlights and more than 16 towers. This was done in order to avoid the aircraft landing or taking off from the airport nearby from crashing against the floodlight towers. Even though the ground is a recent and new venue compared to other big centres in India, it has already hosted plenty of international games across formats.
The first international game played here was between India and South Africa during the Hero Cup in 1993. PCA has hosted many games after that and has built a reputation for being one of the pace-assisting wickets in India though it has slowed down in the recent past. One of the most famous matches it has hosted would be the World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan in 2011 where there was tension in the air, even politically and it was attended by the Prime Ministers of both the countries.
PCA also plays home to the Punjab state team in domestic tournaments and also to the Punjab franchise in the Indian Twenty20 League. The ground has been a very lucky one for the Indian national team especially in the Test format as they have not lost a game there since the inaugural match against the Windies, a streak stretching over 12 Tests and more than 24 years as of February 2019. This venue has also seen some landmarks being created and some memorable games. Rohit Sharma scored his 3rd double hundred in ODIs at the PCA Stadium against Sri Lanka, an unbeaten 208 in 2017. This ground is one of the bigger ones around the country and has always been a good place for both batsmen and bowlers alike.