For four decades, the story of top-tier cricket at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium lived in archivist notes and yellowed newspaper clippings. The venue’s international history is brief but historic. On October 13 1983, it hosted its first One Day International between India and the West Indies, a game infamous for pitch disruptions during the lunch interval, followed by rain and dust storms where Desmond Haynes’s unbeaten 55 sealed a revised victory for the visitors.

Three years later, on September 9, 1986, Allan Border’s match-winning 90 not out eclipsed Sunil Gavaskar’s 52 off 56 balls as Australia edged India by three wickets.