A nervy ending to the first India vs New Zealand T20I match has set the stage for yet another exciting clash between these two champion sides. This time, the match will be played at the marvellous cricket stadium of Ranchi, the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium. And so to preview all the excitement that lies ahead, here we are with an analysis of the Ranchi Cricket Stadium’s pitch report and other relevant T20 stats.
Current form
Team India, for one, will be heavily buoyed by the return of its batting order to form. The likes of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav gave a good exhibition of their cricketing genius in their 59-run second-wicket partnership last night. Yadav, for one, has a big role to play in this series, given Virat Kohli’s absence from the team. It was also good to see young Rishabh Pant, touted as one of India’s best finishing batsmen, to take the game deep and finish it off with a match-winning boundary.
On the bowling front, Rohit and Co. will need to be a bit more measured with their tactics and over management. Deepak Chahar, who plays predominantly as a powerplay fast-bowler, bowled a few overs at the death last night that leaked a lot of runs. Mohammed Siraj would also be eager to improve his economy rate. Perhaps the team should try to get a few overs out of Venkatesh Iyer, whose role in the team is that of a batting all-rounder.
New Zealand, meanwhile, would be ruing their lackluster bowling effort in the powerplay that cost their team big time. If it weren’t for Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson bowling some miserly overs towards the end, they would’ve lost the match much sooner. Captain Tim Southee, for one, needs to step up as a leader and address his economy issues. Todd Astle, who replaced Ish Sodhi in the NZ line-up last night, might also need a look-in. Batting wise, there’d be little that the Blackcaps would like to address. Although they will expect their middle-order batsmen to be a bit more attacking at the death overs.
JSCA Stadium T20 records
The Ranchi stadium has previously hosted 2 international T20 matches. The winning record for teams batting first and teams chasing is even, so there doesn’t seem to be a clear winning strategy for the toss. The ground has traditionally been a low-scoring venue, with the average first-innings score of 151.
T20I Statistics
Total Match Played: 2
Batting First Won: 1
Batting Second Won: 1
Tie: 0
Avg. Score in 1st bat: 157
Highest Score: India 196/6
Lowest Score: Australia 118/8
Scoring Pattern
Below Score 150: 1
Score between 150 and 169: 0
Score between 170 and 189: 0
Above Score 190: 1
Ranchi Cricket Stadium Pitch Report
Being a low-scoring venue, the Ranchi wicket is expected to be somewhat gripping and slow. Both the teams could be tempted to play an extra spinner on this surface. While the record for T20 international matches on this ground is quite even, in domestic games, the team batting second has won 5 out of 7 times.
T20 Domestic
Total Match Played: 7
Batting First Won: 2
Batting Second Won: 5
Tie: 0
Avg. Score in 1st bat: 149
Highest Score: Chennai Super Kings 185/3
Lowest Score: Royal Challengers Bangalore 115/9
Scoring Pattern
Below Score 150: 5
Score between 150 and 169: 0
Score between 170 and 189: 2
Above Score 190: 0
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JSCA Stadium Weather Report
The day is expected to be sunny with partial clouds, although that should not have much impact on this night match. The average temperature will be 26 Degree Celsius, with humidity at 64%. Fans should expect a good, uninterrupted game of cricket, as chances of precipitation for the match day have been recorded at 0%. Lastly, the wind speed will be 3kmph.
