Have a look at the PCA Stadium Mohali pitch report and weather forecast for India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I
India’s final Twenty20 International series before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will pit them against Afghanistan.
India and Afghanistan will play their first T20I series together. However, earlier in the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup, the two teams crossed paths multiple times in the shortest format. Although the venue has never hosted a match by the visitors, certain players have played there during their IPL careers.
PCA Cricket Stadium Mohali pitch report, weather today, stats and T20 records for IND vs AFG 1st match
Touchdown 📍 Mohali for the 🇦🇫 challenge! 🤩#SherSquad, sadde 🦁s are back home, this time in the India blues. 💙#ArshdeepSingh #JiteshSharma #INDvAFG pic.twitter.com/SCzECkusRS
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) January 10, 2024
Beginning on Thursday, January 11, the opening Twenty20 International match of the series will take place at Mohali’s IS Bindra Stadium, founded in 1993 with a capacity of 27,000. The pitch has hosted around 14 Tests, 26 ODIs and 6 T20Is international matches.
For the three-match series, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who had been out of the Indian T20I team for more than a year, have returned. In his absence, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav headed the team, however, they were both injured and could not be selected. Rohit has been declared captain of the team.
Since the 2022 T20 World Cup, Hardik has captained India’s Twenty20 International team most of the time. However, after Hardik hurt his ankle during the 2023 ODI World Cup, Suryakumar took over as captain.
PCA Stadium Mohali Pitch report
It will be the first Twenty20 International match which will take place at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. Nine meetings have seen the teams batting first win five of them, with an average first innings score of 168.
The PCA Stadium is known as a batter’s paradise, but as the game has gone on, the wickets have also suited pacers early on and spinners later on. Consequently, spectators should anticipate a thrilling match in Mohali.
Australia pursued a score of 209 in the most recent Twenty20 International at the venue. Mohali’s batting-friendly pitches are further evidenced by the average first-inning score of 183.
- Matches: 6
- India won: 3
- Visiting team won: 1
- Neutral team won: 2
- Matches won when batting 1st: 2
- Matches won when bowling 1st: 4
- Highest team total: 211/4 by India vs Sri Lanka in 2009 | 211/6 by Australia vs India in 2022
- Lowest team total: 149/5 by South Africa vs India in 2019
- Highest successful chase: 211/6 by Australia vs India in 2022
Lowest total defended: 180/5 by Afghanistan vs West Indies in 1996
India’s record at the stadium
- Matches: 4
- Won: 3
- Lost: 1
- Won Batting First: 0
- Won Chasing: 3
- Highest Total: 211
- Lowest Total: 208
PCA Stadium Mohali weather forecast
Prior to Thursday’s first Twenty20 International match between India and Afghanistan at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium, the players from Afghanistan were undeterred by the extremely chilly temperature on Tuesday when they were practicing. They are used to tougher winter weather back home.
The game will be played under floodlights starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday due to the predicted minimum temperature of 5 to 6 degrees Celsius, heavy dew that is expected to settle in after sunset, and hazy weather.