R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo [X.com]
On Sunday, Asian giants India and Pakistan will cross swords against each other in match nine of the Asia Cup 2023. The high-voltage face-off, which promises to be an absolute nail-biter, will be staged at the iconic R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Pakistan are high on confidence, courtesy of their exceptional performance in the previous encounters. They kickstarted their campaign with a thumping win over Nepal in the tournament opener in Multan. They followed it up with an impressive bowling performance against India before rain played spoilsport in the intriguing battle. Furthermore, the Men in Green were commendable with both bat and ball in their first Super 4 game versus Bangladesh, recording a seven-wicket win in Lahore.
On the other hand, as expected, India sealed a clinical victory over Nepal in their final group-stage fixture after witnessing a washout against Pakistan in Pallekele. Riding on the fireworks from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, the Men in Blue chased a steep target in the rain-curtailed affair to book their berth in the Super 4.
So, as the R. Premadasa stadium in Colombo gets ready to stage the high-octane encounter, let's see how its pitch is expected to play in this game.
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R Premadasa Stadium Colombo Pitch Report
The surface at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo traditionally assists the spinners, making it challenging for the batters to score runs with ease. It's a typical subcontinental track, offering decent turn to the spinners throughout the day.
We don't expect the ball to come nicely onto the bat here, so the batters must spend some time in the middle to get going. The average scoring rate at the venue has been just 4.87, suggesting the deck's conduciveness for bowling.
Furthermore, with overcast conditions prevailing in Colombo, we can't rule out the possibility of the seamers getting swing in the air and some zip off the surface. Overall, scoring runs could be tough here, with something around 260 expected to be a par total.
The teams batting first have won 76 matches at the venue as compared to only 55 by the chasing sides. So, unless overcast conditions greet the two teams in the afternoon, the toss-winning side will likely opt to bat first.
 "Debashis Sarangi")
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