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Virat Kohli training at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (AP Photos)
India will be aiming for a big-margin win against Nepal on Monday (September 4) to finish ahead of Pakistan in Group A of the Asia Cup 2023. The contest will take place at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the same venue where the Men in Blue had a match abandoned against their arch-rivals less than 24 hours ago.
Nepal will play for pride under Rohit Paudel in their first-ever appearance in the competition. They seemed a spirited side in the early part of the Pakistan fixture but failed to keep up the good work as the game progressed. As a result, Paudel and his boys suffered a humiliating 238-run defeat, albeit the contest took place in a different country altogether, at Pakistan’s Multan Cricket Stadium.
How has Pallekele fared in the past in ODIs, and what are the numbers telling us? Here's a quick look at it.
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium ODI Records
As many as 35 ODIs have been played at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium till date, with the first 50-over affair taking place in March 2011 between New Zealand and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, the host country, have a 45.61% winning rate at this venue, having won 16 times here.
| Pallekele International Cricket Stadium ODI records | |
|---|---|
| Highest Team Total | 363/7 by South Africa, vs Sri Lanka, 2018 |
| Lowest Team Total | 70 by Zimbabwe, vs Sri Lanka, 2019 |
| Team won batting 1st | 14 |
| Team won batting 2nd | 19 |
| Average runs per over | 5.41 |
| Average runs per wicket | 30.83 |
| Average total batting 1st | 246 |
India's most-recent outing against Pakistan was only the second washed-out match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
The highest successful run-chase at this venue is 314. Last year, Afghanistan achieved the feat, that too against the hosts Sri Lanka.
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