India vs South Africa 1st T20I: Records, stats and pitch report

After winning the series against Australia, the Indian cricket team has moved on to the last stages of their T20 World Cup preparations. They will now face South Africa in a three match T20I international series at home. This will be the last T20I series for both the teams, before they head to Australia to play their tournament openers against Pakistan and New Zealand. Both the teams are coming from a series win, thus cricket fans can expect some thrilling matches in the series. The first match will be played at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

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Here is the head-to-head record of both the teams as they play the 1st T20I at the Greenfield Stadium:

1. This is the first time that the South African team will be playing a T20I at this ground.

2. India, on the other hand, has played only two matches at this venue, winning only half of them. They defeated New Zealand by 6 runs, but lost to the West Indies by 8 wickets. 

3. India’s last five T20Is (most recent from the left): W W L W L 

4. Australia’s last five T20Is: W W W W L

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Here are some of the stats of T20Is at the VCA Stadium:

1. No. of matches played here: 2

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

3. No. of matches won by the team batting second: 1

4.Average score for the team batting first: 118

5. Average score for the team batting second: 117

6. Highest score at the Greenfield Stadium: 173/2 (West Indies – 2019 )

7. Lowest score at the Greenfield Stadium: 61/6 (New Zealand – 2017; match was reduced to only eight overs)

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Here’s the pitch report of the Greenfield Stadium:

The Greenfield Stadium field might host another run-fest. The stadium has a drop-in pitch (a pitch which is prepared outside the stadium), which means it depends on the curator on how the game will play out. As India is a batting powerhouse, the curator might decide for a flat pitch. However, the bowlers will also have their moments here, particularly in the opening overs. It will be partially cloudy, so it is unlikely that rain may play spoilsport.