India vs South Africa, 1st ODI: Records, stats and pitch report

After winning the T20I series 2-1, Team India will now face South Africa in a three match ODI series. The first match will be played October 6, 2022 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium or Ekana International Stadium, Lucknow. 

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Here is the head-to-head record of both the teams as they play the 1st ODI at the Ekana International Stadium:

1. The last time South Africa and India met on this ground, both hadn’t played here before. However, the game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. So this is the first time that both India and South Africa will play on this ground.

2. Still, three ODI matches have been played on this ground, all between Afghanistan and West Indies. 

3. India’s last five ODIs (most recent from the left): W W W W W

4. South Africa’s last five ODIs: NR L W L W

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Here are some of the stats of ODIs at the Ekana International Stadium:

1. No. of matches played here: 3

2. No. of matches won by the team batting first: 1

3. No. of matches won by the team batting second: 2

4.Average score for the team batting first: 230

5. Average score for the team batting second: 217

6. Highest score at the Ekana International Stadium:  253/5 (West Indies-2019)

7. Lowest score at the Ekana International Stadium: 194/10 (Afghanistan-2019)

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Here’s the pitch report of the Ekana International Stadium:

The pitch at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium is evenly distributed, favouring batters slightly. Due to the black soil composition of the pitches, bowlers will be able to get a lot of bounce out of the wicket, which will be advantageous for both pacers and spinners. In the first few overs of the game, the seamers can get some movement, and the extra bounce on the track will help them.