Cricket return to Kotla after 949 days
Highlights
- Rishabh Pant to debut as India captain
- South Africa wins toss, opt to bat
Arun Jaitley Stadium, which was formerly known as the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium is the second oldest international cricket stadium in India. Home to the Delhi Ranji team and the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals, the stadium was established in 1883. The first international match that was played here was a Test match between India and the West Indies in 1948.
For many years, the Arun Jaitley Stadium is considered one of Indian team's favorite cricket grounds. However, in the past, this ground came under severe criticism in 2009 when the pitch played disastrously in an ODI match that was being contested against Sri Lanka. Since April 2005, the Indian team has won 6 international matches and has lost none. The pitch in this stadium is mostly batting friendly with an average first innings score of 156 and an average second innings score of 145. The highest total recorded on this ground is 202/3 which India registered against New Zealand and the lowest total recorded on this ground is 120/10 which Sri Lanka recorded against South Africa.
The last international match played in this stadium was a T20I match that India played against Bangladesh in 2019 and then COVID broke loose on the country. After 949 days, cricket returns to the national capital, and fiery contest is expected to transpire between the men in blue and the Proteas team.
