On Sunday, October 22, cricket fans will witness a thrilling match between two strong teams, India and New Zealand. This highly anticipated clash is the 21st match of the ongoing ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 and will be held at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
Despite India’s strong performance in the tournament, New Zealand poses a significant threat. The Kiwi team has been a constant adversary for India in ICC tournaments and has caused heartbreak on multiple occasions.
In actuality, the two sides have faced off 13 times in ICC competition, with New Zealand dominating India by winning 10 of those contests. Surprisingly, India last defeated New Zealand in an ICC encounter at the ODI World Cup in Centurion in 2003.
The fact that the Men in Blue don’t have a fantastic record while playing at Dharamsala is another statistic that could alarm Indian fans ahead of the big game on Sunday.
India has a 50% victory record in four one-day internationals played at the venue, winning only twice.
India suffer a humiliating loss to Sri Lanka in Dharamsala ODI
The last time India played in Dharamsala’s HPCA Stadium was in December 2017, when Sri Lanka visited for a multi-format series. The ODI leg began at Dharamsala after three Tests, with Sri Lanka winning by seven wickets.
The Indian batting team put on a horrible show after being called in to bat first. India endured a forgettable day on a seam-friendly ground in the chilly morning. Suranga Lakmal’s brilliant performance of 10-4-13-4 caused the Indian batting lineup to disintegrate, as they were at 29/7 at one stage.
At No. 6, India’s rescue arrived in the form of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who scored a quick 65 off 87 balls to take India to 112. As many as four Indian hitters were out on a duck, while others failed to reach double figures.
Sri Lanka lost two wickets early in the match when chasing a low score of 112, but the middle-order batsman quickly chased down the mark. Upul Tharanga led the way with the bat, scoring 49 runs off 46 balls.
The Lankans chased down the score with 176 balls to spare, which remains India’s largest ODI defeat at home (in terms of balls remaining).
