India, Afghanistan all set for run-fest at docile Chinnaswamy Stadium
The stage is set as India and Afghanistan will lock horns in the 3rd and final T20 at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium tomorrow. While India have already clinched the series with emphatic wins […]
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Jan 16, 2024 6:22 pm
Rohit Sharma and Ibrahim Zadran (Source – Twitter)
The stage is set as India and Afghanistan will lock horns in the 3rd and final T20 at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium tomorrow. While India have already clinched the series with emphatic wins in Mohali and Indore, this game is extremely important as it is their last match before the T20 World Cup. The game holds immense value for the visitors too, as they would be desperate to win a game before leaving Indian shores.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, will surely be looking to try out a few things during the game. Having missed out in the first couple of games, Sanju Samson could get a look in tomorrow. Additionally, India might want to give a bigger role to Washington Sundar as well. It will be no different for Afghanistan who brought a 19-member playing contingent for the series. As such, the visitors are expected to make wholesale changes to the game.
Like the Holkar Stadium in Indore, the Chinnaswamy pitch will offer a lot of excitement to batters. The surface generally offers minimal swing and movement, providing a surface for batsmen to trust their strokes. The boundaries, particularly on the leg side, are notoriously short, tempting big hits and sixes. The square boundaries are slightly longer but still encourage aggressive strokeplay. The outfield at Chinnaswamy is notoriously quick, allowing for even mishits to race to the boundary. This further incentivizes batsmen to take calculated risks and go for glory.
India’s record in Bengaluru
The Indian side has played seven games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, winning three and losing as many games. One game was washed out due to inclement weather. Just last month, India played a T20I against Aussies at the venue, which they ended up winning by 6 runs. Batting first, India had scored 160 thanks to a half-century by Shreyas Iyer and cameos by Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jitesh Sharma and Axar Patel. For Australia, Ben McDermott compiled a blazing fifty but it wasn’t enough as Australia failed to complete the chase. India will be looking for another win at the Chinnaswamy but will be desperate to make it clinical this time around.
