India vs Australia 2023

India vs Australia: Weather Report ahead of 1st T20I

Just days after their epic encounter in the World Cup final, India and Australia are set to rekindle their fierce rivalry in a five-match T20I series, kicking off today at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The memories of the World Cup final still linger, with Australia emerging victorious in a one-sided game.

However, the T20I format offers a fresh start, and India will be eager to erase the disappointment of that defeat and establish their dominance in the shortest format of the game. With a T20 World Cup set to be played in June, this series is quite important as both teams look to identify players who can play an important role for them in the marquee tournament.

India will be captained by the dynamic Suryakumar Yadav, who currently holds the world’s top-ranked T20I batsman title. The Indian squad boasts a blend of promising youngsters and experienced campaigners, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma and Axar Patel. The players, with limited exposure at the highest level, are eager to showcase their talent and make a significant impact in this upcoming series.

In contrast, Australia’s squad boasts a blend of seasoned veterans. Renowned players like Steve Smith, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, and Marcus Stoinis bring their wealth of experience and leadership to the side. Alongside these stalwarts, promising youngsters like Tanveer Sangha and Aaron Hardie are eager to make their mark on the international stage.

Weather threat looms large

The Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam has proven to be a challenging surface for batsmen, with teams batting first struggling to post high scores. A win-loss record of 3-6 for teams batting first at the stadium highlights the pitch’s favour towards bowlers. The average first innings score of 119 drops to 105 in the second innings, further emphasizing this trend. Batters will need to display immense grit and determination to conquer this challenging surface.

Rain could play a part in the first T20I between India and Australia as there is a 60% chance of precipitation during the day. That figure falls to 12% at night but the cloud cover will still be immense. The humidity will be on the higher side as well. To add to it, the air quality is also terrible.

The weather conditions will further help bowlers as they can find movement under lights with cloud cover expected to remain for the entirety of the game.