Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan Vs India Pitch report

India and Pakistan will play their first match in the Asia Cup on 2 September 2023. While many factors can change the course of this match, pitch conditions are one of the major factors. A toss can win or lose you a match. This is because the winning side can take advantage of the pitch conditions.

Read: Pakistan vs. India Asia Cup 2023 schedule.

Pakistan and India will play this match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. In this article, we will try to see how the pitch behaves, how it can impact the match, and some other stats on the ODI cricket played in this match.

So, without any delay, let’s get right into it.

Pitch Characteristics

This is a batting-friendly pitch. This surface has a history of supporting batsmen and spinners. Pacers can forget about doing anything on this surface. We will share some stats later in this article as well. They will present a more clear picture.

Also, the average batting score in the first innings is 248. This tells you about the nature of the pitch for the batters. But, things can change since the batsmen get better conditions in the game in general. Teams batting first have won 14 out of 33 times. This means that spinners chasing is a better option on this pitch.

In Pakistan vs India game, things will get interesting and toss will be very important. Let’s discuss that.

Impact on the match

Because pacers cannot do much on this surface, Pakistan can’t rely on Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris Rauf. Although Haris has the capabilities of controlling the runs in the death overs, it will get harder for him.

As it is a batting friendly pitch, we can anticipate a great show from Virat, Babar, Rohit, Imam, Shubham, Fakhar, and Rizwan. Spinners can come to the rescue but that depends on the toss.

Everything comes down to the toss.

If a team wins the toss and bats second, it will have to contain the other side. But, the chasing side will have to keep in mind the looming threat of spinners. This surface will have some wear and tear till the second innings.

But, it is still a flat track.

The team who wins the toss and chases will have a better chance.

ODI matches on this pitch

The teams batting second have won most of the time. So far, the highest total on this pitch has been 363 by South Africa against Sri Lanka.

Ironically, the Pacers have had the best bowling figures on this surface. Mitchel Jhonson picked up 6 for 31, the best bowling figures on this surface by a bowler in ODI games.

Let’s see how things play out during this match.

Watch:- India Vs Pakistan ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Live Streaming

Conclusion

The pitch conditions at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium will be crucial in the highly anticipated Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan on September 2, 2023. This batting-friendly surface, which has a history of favoring batsmen and spinners, is expected to set the tone for the match.

Pacers may struggle, and the average first-inning score of 248 highlights the batsmen’s advantage. The statistics further emphasize the significance of winning the toss, since pursuing has frequently been profitable.

While the likes of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, and others are anticipated to flourish, spinners may dictate terms depending on the outcome of the toss.