India v Bangladesh – Pune, October 19
Over a period of time, most of the surfaces for limited-overs cricket at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune have been batting-friendly. If one needs further evidence, eight 300-plus scores have been achieved in just seven ODIs at the ground. More importantly, teams have twice chased down targets in excess of 300. In Pune, the muggier period generally lasts from April 30 to November 9 (Source – Weatherspark.com). So, that could lead to the dew factor coming into play during the World Cup. When India lock horns with Bangladesh, we could witness a game full of runs.
The top five wicket-takers in ODIs at the venue are all seam bowlers, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading the charts – 10 wickets at just over 29. Barring Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar, though, the other three – Ben Stokes, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur – all have economy rates in excess of 6. That again points to batters ruling the roost. If we glance through the Indian side, on paper, the hosts have a strong batting unit, and they should enjoy the conditions.
Trivia: This stadium is yet to host any 50-over or T20 World Cup game. The previous venue in Pune – the Nehru Stadium – did host a couple of World Cup matches.
| Matches | India Wins |
Bangladesh Wins
|
|
| Overall | 39 | 31 | 7 |
| In Pune | |||
| In World Cups | 4 | 3 | 1 |