Asia Cup, Pakistan vs India: Pitch report and stadium stats
India will meet arch-nemesis Pakistan in the blockbuster Super Fours Match 3 of the 2023 Asia Cup. Their battle in the group stage of the event got washed out and rain can impact the upcoming game as well. A reserve day has been put in place for this match. No other Super Fours game has a reserve day. Here we present the pitch report.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will host this contest on Saturday (September 10). As the track here is usually on the slower side, spinners can get substantial assistance. Batters showing application would be awarded with runs. Meanwhile, the conditions here have been overcast in recent days. Hence, the fast bowlers would enjoy operating with the new ball.
Will rain play a part?
As mentioned, the group-stage game between these two sides, which took place in Pallekele, got washed out. The current forecast suggests that fans can experience another disappointment. According to Accuweather, the Colombo weather forecast predicts a 70% chance of rain on Sunday morning. The temperature will continue to go down as the day progresses. The rain is likely to get heavier during the match.
A reserve day in place in Indo-Pak game
A reserve day has been designated for this contest. ACC confirmed the same on September 9. Hence, if the game is not concluded on Sunday, it will continue on Monday from where it left off. The final game, on September 17, is the only other match with a reserve day in the ongoing competition.
Here are the stadium stats
Chasing teams have won 85 of the 156 ODIs here, losing 61 (Average first innings score: 232). 375/5 by India in 2017 is the highest team score here. Sri Lanka own the highest-successful chase at this venue, 292/4 versus Australia in 2022. While India have 23 of their 42 completed ODIs here, Pakistan have 14 wins and eight defeats here.
Here are the key numbers
Virat Kohli has clobbered 519 runs across eight ODI innings in Colombo at 103.80. The tally includes three tons. Rohit Sharma has managed just 196 ODI runs here at 24.50. Babar Azam scored 60 in his solitary outing here. Kuldeep Yadav has five wickets in four ODIs here at an economy of 4.61. Shaheen Afridi has claimed two wickets in his solitary outing here.
A look at the Probable XI of both sides
India (Probable XI): Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (WK), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj. Pakistan (Confirmed XI): Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
