Preview: India vs Pakistan – 1st ODI
First Published : 29 Dec 2012, 16:50
Last Modified : 29 Dec 2012, 16:50
What
First match of the three-game ODI series between India and Pakistan
When
December 30, 2012
Where
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
The Teams
There’s not much to choose between the two teams after the closely-fought T20I series. However, there is an added incentive for Team India to go all guns blazing in this ODI given that a win here will propel the Men in Blue to first place in the ICC ODI Rankings. For MS Dhoni the performance of his pace bowlers must be most heartening. However, knowing the nature of the slow and low Chepauk track, the Indian skipper might be tempted to allot R Ashwin a spin partner.
Given Ravindra Jadeja’s recent slump in form, it is likely that Amit Mishra could play his first ODI after a year and a half. If Mishra gets a game, the Indian captain will face a tough decision to exclude either Ishant Sharma or Bhuvneshwar Kumar. In the batting department, with the return of Virender Sehwag in the squad, Ajinkya Rahane might lose his place despite giving enough proof of his skills and temperament. It would be interesting to see if Dhoni contemplates dropping Rohit Sharma and accommodating Rahane in the middle order.
Paksitan gave a handsome account of themselves in the two T20Is. Although they lost the second match by 11 runs, their intent while chasing 193 cannot be overlooked. While bowling has always been Pakistan’s strength in any format, the good news is that their young opener, Nasir Jamshed is back among runs. What further bolsters the visitors’ batting in the ODIs is arrival of their skipper, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and the in-form Shoaib Malik, who has been added to the ODI squad after his match-winning half-century in the first T20I.
Key Players
Currently, Yuvraj Singh is perhaps the one man in Team India that Pakistan are most scared of. He has made it a habit of winning India limited overs matches with both bat and ball. On the Chennai track, where the Pakistani pacers might not be as effective with their short-ball tactics to him, Yuvraj can be all the more dangerous. The wicket’s spin-friendly nature will also make his left-arm spinners much handier. In bowling, local boy Ashwin will hold the key on a track that he knows like the back of his hand.
The 7ft 1in Mohammad Irfan may not have picked too many wickets in the two T20Is, but he has hogged more limelight than any Pakistan bowler. Such was his impact that while he was originally picked only in the T20 squad, he has been retained for the ODIs too. He will surely be the one to watch out for. Another man that India need to be wary of is Mohammad Hafeez. True to his sobriquet of ‘Professor’, Pakistan’s T20 skipper led the team from the front with a calm head, mature outlook and half-centuries in both games.
Trivia
After playing a record 27 consecutive day-night matches India will be playing their first day one-day international. India’s last day ODI was against England at Lord’s in 2011 that ended in a thrilling tie. The last day game for India on home soil was against New Zealand at Vadodara in 2010.
Yuvraj Singh is the leading run-scorer in ODIs at Chennai – with 255 runs in 6 matches at an average of 85.00
Stats
Venue Stats
Average first innings score at MA Chidambaram Stadium:
Overall - 240
Since 2000 - 227
Average second innings score at MA Chidambaram Stadium:
Overall - 215
Since 2000 - 211
Result summary at MA Chidambaram Stadium:
|
Matches |
Won by side batting 1st |
Won by side batting 2nd |
No Result |
Tied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall |
11 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
|
Since 2000 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
Head-to-head:
|
Matches |
Played |
India won |
Pakistan won |
No Result |
Tied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall |
121 |
48 |
69 |
4 |
0 |
|
In India |
27 |
10 |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
At Chennai |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Team Stats
Last meeting between both sides at the MA Chidambaram Stadium:
Brief scores: Pakistan (327/5) beat India (292) by 35 runs on May 21, 1997
Form guide (most recent listed first):
India: Won, Won, Won, Lost, Won (4 wins, 1 loss)
Pakistan: Lost, Won, Lost, Lost, Lost (1 win, 4 losses)
The Squads
India: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ashoke Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Shami Ahmed, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Anwar Ali, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Imran Farhat, Junaid Khan, Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan, Zulfiqar Babar
