World Cup India versus New Zealand: Dharamsala pitch likely to be paradise for pacers

India will face New Zealand on Sunday in Dharamsala. The pitch is considered to be helpful for the pace bowlers and the enthusiasm amongst fans is so high that all the tickets are sold out for the contest.

Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh): The ICC World Cup 2023 will witness an exciting clash between India and New Zealand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on 22nd October. It is interesting to know the nature of the surface ahead of the key clash. The pitch is known for the assistance it offers to fast bowlers and both teams are likely to field their best playing eleven.

Both India and New Zealand have reached Dharamsala for the key clash which is to be played on Sunday. New Zealand did a training drill and practice ahead of the key fixture. The Indian team also practised ahead of the marquee clash.

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Pitch curator Sunil Chauhan said that overseas batters and bowlers have often got help from this pitch so far. Because the nature of this pitch is friendly for fast bowlers just like pitches overseas. Overseas batters like to bat on fast pitches, while pacers get swing and some skid on this pitch.

Recently, a match was played between England and Bangladesh in this stadium, in which the England team, batting first, posted a big score. The pacers from the English team got help from this pitch and they wrapped up the opposition in quick time.

For Indian batters, it usually gets tough to get going on this surface. Earlier, India played a T20I against South Africa on October 2, 2015, and the latter won by seven wickets. The Indian batting unit faced difficulties while the Proteas batters played with ease. Now, India and New Zealand will play each other on Sunday and it will be interesting to see the tactics of the Indian batting unit against the New Zealand pacers.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya's absence will be a big miss for the Rohit Sharma-led team as he could have extracted some seam movement from the surface. However, he will not feature in the game owing to an injury.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the chances of rain hampering the game are very low. The rain will not interfere with the game and ground staff is ready to handle any weather interruptions.

On the other hand, fans are praying so that the rain will not interfere in the fixture. Notably, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) have upgraded the drainage system in the ground. So, even if there is a drizzle, ground staff can dry the ground in 20 minutes.

It is expected that Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu will watch the game in person.