India vs England, 3rd T20I: Niranjan Shah Stadium pitch, stats
What's the story
The 3rd T20I between India and England will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on January 28. The venue, with a capacity of around 28,000 spectators, has hosted five T20Is in the past, with the team batting first winning three of them. India currently lead the five-match T20I series 2-0 after winning in Kolkata and Chennai. Here are the key details.
Pitch characteristics
Batting first advantageous at Niranjan Shah Stadium
The pitch at Niranjan Shah Stadium is known to be batter-friendly, providing reasonable pace and bounce. This allows batters to play on the up. Chasing on this ground can get tough as the second innings's conditions might vary. The pitch's flat and hard nature assists batters early on, but teams batting second tend to struggle in the latter stages.
Information
Toss plays crucial role
Winning the toss could be the key in Rajkot, with captains naturally opting to bat first to capitalize on the favorable conditions. The average first-innings score at this venue in T20Is is 189.
Past performance
Previous T20I saw India's victory
In the last T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Suryakumar Yadav's brilliant century helped India claim a 91-run victory over Sri Lanka. Batting first, India posted a mammoth 228/5. SKY hammered an unbeaten 112(51). His knock was laced 9 sixes and seven fours. Rahul Tripathi (35 off 16) and Axar Patel (21 off nine) added to India's total.
Record review
Niranjan Shah Stadium: A look at the records
The highest team total at Niranjan Shah Stadium in T20Is is 228/5, which India scored against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the lowest score by a team at Niranjan Shah Stadium in T20Is is 87/10, which South Africa scored during the 4th T20I against India on June 17, 2022. Colin Munro is the only batter other than SKY to have smacked a T20I ton at this venue.