The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, abbreviated as HPCA Stadium, is a beautiful and picturesque cricket stadium in the city of Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
The venue is unique in India as it is situated at an altitude of 1,457 m above sea level and is overlooked by the snow-capped Himalayan mountains in the background.
The stadium served as the home ground for the Himachal Pradesh State cricket team for Ranji Trophy matches, and it has also hosted a few Indian T20 League games in the past.
To date, the stadium has hosted four ODIs, nine T20Is, and a Test match. The first and only Test match at the stadium was played between India and Australia in March 2017. Hosts India won the game comfortably by eight wickets. Here’s a closer look at the Test stats and records from the HPCA Stadium Test.
HPCA Stadium Test records and stats
Most runs
The Australian great Steve Smith holds the record for scoring the most runs at the HPCA stadium. The Sydney batter scored 128 runs in two innings at an average of 64 against India in the only Test at the venue. He scored a century in the first innings of the Test.
For India, KL Rahul has scored the most runs at the venue. He scored 111 runs in two innings at an average of 111 having notched up fifties in both innings of the match.
Most wickets
Umesh Yadav and Nathan Lyon are the joint highest wicket-takers at the HPCA stadium in Tests. Both the Test players picked up five wickets each in the only Test at the venue.
Umesh holds a better average (19.60) than Lyon's (22.20) in Dharamsala even though the legendary Australian spinner also registered a five-wicket haul at the venue.
Highest individual score
Australian batter Steve Smith recorded the highest individual score at the venue in Tests when Australia toured India in 2017.
Smith scored 111 runs in 173 balls at the stadium. His blistering knock featured 14 fours as Australia posted a respectable first-innings total of 300 runs against India before succumbing to an eight-wicket loss.
Best bowling figures in an innings
Australia's Nathan Lyon scalped five wickets, giving away 92 runs in 34.1 overs in India’s first innings of the only Test at the venue. He removed the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Karun Nair in the first innings.
Highest team total
Riding on the fifty-plus knocks of KL Rahul (60) and Ravindra Jadeja (63), India posted a total of 332 runs in their first innings against Australia. This is the highest team total at the HPCA stadium in Tests and it helped India win the game by eight wickets.
Lowest team total
Indian bowlers dented Australia's batting lineup in the second innings of the only Test match at the venue in 2017. Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja scalped three wickets each to bundle out Australia for 137 runs, which is the lowest team total at this venue. India won the Test match comfortably by eight wickets.
Average 1st innings score
The average first innings score at this venue in Tests is 300 and it rises to 332 in the second innings.
Highest partnership
The legendary Australian duo of David Warner and Steve Smith added 134 runs for the second wicket in the first innings of the Dharamsala Test in 2017. This remains the only instance of a batting pair scoring 100 or more Test runs together at the venue.
