Following a comfortable all-format 6-0 sweep against the West Indies, the Indian team will be looking forward to keep its dominating bandwagon running in the upcoming assignment against Sri Lanka. The home series against the emerald islanders starts of with a 3-match T20I series; the first match of which will be played at Lucknow’s Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. And in this article, we’ll be previewing that all important game with our pitch report of Lucknow cricket stadium, weather prediction, and T20 records analysis.
Team forms
The Indian team has managed to unearth quite a few new match-winners over the course of the past two weeks. Debutant Deepak Hooda managed to make a good start to his career in the ODI series last week. Kuldeep Yadav also enjoyed a successful return to the international fold. More recently, the likes of Ravi Bishnoi, Venkatesh Iyer, and Harshal Patel looked mighty impressive in the T20I matches. Suryakumar Yadav seems to possess an almost otherworldly level of confidence in his batting. Simply put, a lot of things have gone right for the men-in-blue; especially when it comes to the form of their young and coming players.
There are, however, a few senior players who would be raring to prove a point in the upcoming Sri Lankan assignment. Captain Rohit Sharma would love to find a little bit of consistency ahead of the IPL. His fellow opener at the Mumbai Indians, Ishan Kishan, would also be itching to make good of the opportunities he gets this time around; after a rather lukewarm outing against the Windies. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sanju Samson, and Kuldeep would also be hoping to get some game time to stay in rhythm ahead of the IPL.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will have some of their own points to prove to their passionate fans; especially at the back of the 4-1 drubbing they copped in Australia recently. Wanindu Hasaranga and Binura Fernando’s return from COVID-19 will be a welcome boost for the tourists, and should make for an entertaining contest. Apart from those two, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, and Dushmantha Chameera have also looked in fine form, and look more than capable of winning matches by their individual merit. Having said that, the onus will be on captain Dasun Shanka to marshall his troops well should he be aiming to achieve his team’s first T20I series win on Indian soil.
Match Details for India vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I
Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Date: 24 February 2022
Time: 7 PM IST
Ekana Cricket Stadium T20I records
| Total matches | 7 |
| Matches won batting first | 4 |
| Matches won bowling first | 3 |
| Average 1st Inns scores | 151 |
| Average 2nd Inns scores | 128 |
| Highest total recorded | 195/2 (20 Ov) by IND vs WI |
| Highest score chased | 159/4 (20 Ov) by RSAW vs INDW |
| Lowest score defended | 156/8 (20 Ov) by AFG vs WI |
Highest score by a batsman: Rohit Sharma (India), 111* vs West Indies, 2018
Best bowling figures in an innings: Karim Janat (Afghanistan), 5/11 vs West Indies, 2019
Lucknow Cricket Stadium Pitch report
Seeing that pacers the entire top ten list of the most successful bowlers on this venue, it’s clear that the surface is better suited for faster bowling. But instead of focussing on the speed, bowlers who try to work around with variations like slower-ones, knuckle-balls, and back-of-the-hand deliveries seem to enjoy a little bit more success. Conversely, batsman who are technically adept and look to score runs by playing textbook cricketing shots might just enjoy this venue slightly more than strong six-hitters.
Weather Report
Thursday’s weather prediction for the Lucknow Cricket Stadium is partly cloudy with negligible chances of rain. It is going to be a somewhat windy and humid affair, though, which could affect the amount of turn or swing bowlers are able to extract out of the pitch.