All eyes will be on Virat Kohli as India will square off against South Africa in the first One Day International of the three-match series. The fixture will be played at the Boland Park in Paarl on Wednesday, January 19 from 02:00 PM IST.
This will be the first time that Kohli will take the field after getting sacked as an ODI skipper. KL Rahul has been assigned the duty of leading the team in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma.
The Men in Blue will need to regroup themselves and play with intent and conviction to cause an upset for South Africa. Proteas, on the other hand, will be high on confidence after thrashing India in the three-match Test series by 2-1.
The home team will hope to follow the same trend in ODIs and secure a win under the leadership of Temba Bavuma. It is important for the host to win the ODI series to climb up from the tenth position in the World Cup Super League points table.
Boland Park, pitch report:
The pitch at the Boland Park in Paarl is a batting-friendly track and thus the batters from both sides will be eager to hit some runs. The quick outfield and shorter boundaries can further help the willow wielders make a difference in the game. The fans should brace themselves for a high-scoring fixture on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the pacers can also unsettle the batters on the surface provided they hit the deck consistently. The bowlers will have to be consistent with their length and line to extract some pace or bounce from the pitch.
Boland Park, Paarl records (ODI):
Total matches played: 13
Matches won batting first: 7
Matches won batting second: 5
Average 1st Inns score: 243
Average 2nd Inns score: 175
Highest Total: 353/6 (50 Ov) by South Africa vs Bangladesh
Lowest Total: 36/10 (18.4 Ov) by Canada vs Sri Lanka
Highest score chased: 250/2 (48.5 Ov) by South Africa vs Sri Lanka
Lowest score defended: 204/10 (48.5) by India vs Netherlands
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