Rajkot Stadium Pitch Set for High-Scoring IND vs NZ Clash
India and New Zealand prepare for their second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday. The pitch at this venue promises a batting bonanza. Teams have consistently posted big totals here over the years.
Pitch Trends Favor Batting First
The Rajkot stadium pitch is a true batting belter. It always favors the batters. Four ODIs have been played at this ground since 2013. The team batting first won every single match.
Three of those four games saw first-innings scores cross the 300-run mark. South Africa managed 270/7 against India in 2015, which stands as the lowest total. Australia set the venue record with 352/7 in the last ODI before the 2023 World Cup. They beat India by 66 runs in that match.
Recent Form and Venue History
India returns to play an ODI at Rajkot after a gap since September 2023. The opening game of this series already saw scores nearing 300 runs. Experts predict even higher totals on Wednesday. Domestic matches at this stadium have also followed high-scoring patterns.
Weather Conditions and Dew Factor
Weather reports indicate a temperature high of 28 degrees Celsius in the morning. Temperatures will drop to 13 degrees as evening approaches. This significant drop could create dew on the field. Dew might make bowling difficult for the team fielding second. The ball could become slippery and hard to grip.
Squad Details for Both Teams
India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Ayush Badoni.
New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway (w), Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Nick Kelly, Josh Clarkson, Michael Rae, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Hay, Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Jayden Lennox.
Fans can expect a thrilling contest with plenty of runs. The pitch conditions and weather will play crucial roles in the outcome. Both teams have strong batting line-ups ready to exploit the flat track.
