1st T20I Nidahas Trophy: How have India performed at Colombo?
India and Sri Lanka are gearing up for the opening match of the tri-nation T20I series in Colombo. The two nations have played against each other on several occasions in the last few years and therefore they know each other's strengths and weaknesses well. But how have India fared at Colombo in the past? Here's our pre-match report.
Premadasa is a happy hunting ground for India
India have played seven T20I matches at the R Premadasa stadium and have registered six victories. On this happy hunting ground, wins have come against Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Africa, England and hosts Sri Lanka. They lost to Australia here in 2012. The last time they played Sri Lanka here was in September, 2017 and India sealed the fixture by seven wickets.
India's form a worry for Lanka
India come from a 2-1 T20I series victory against South Africa. Prior to that, they defeated Sri Lanka both at home and away in T20Is. India have won the last seven T20Is in a row against the Lankans.
Vital stats going into the game
The highest score by India at the venue is 174/3 against Sri Lanka on September 6, 2017. Virat Kohli is the top run-getter for India on this ground with 267 T20I runs. Among Indians, Kohli also has the top score in an innings (82 runs). Lasith Malinga has the highest wickets (15) on this ground. Harbhajan Singh boasts of the best T20I figures (4/12).
Batting first is the key
In 27 matches, teams batting first have won 15 times. The average first innings score here is 155 with the average second innings score being 132. Highest score by a team at the Premadasa is 205/4 (WI vs AUS).
