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A low-scoring venue
Wisden CricInfo staff - March 15, 2002
The Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium at Hyderabad has hosted 12 one-day internationals, but only half of them have featured India. They have won four and lost one, while one match, against Australia in September 1986, could not be finished due to rain.
Zimbabwe have yet to register a win in the three matches they have played here. None of those matches were against India, though. West Indies have beaten them twice – in the Hero Cup in 1993-94, and in the World Cup in 1996, while New Zealand got the better of them in a cliffhanger in the 1987 World Cup: requiring 243 to win, Dave Houghton scored a memorable 142, but Zimbabwe still fell short by three runs.
Captains winning the toss have elected to bat on seven occasions, including all five times in day-night matches.
Neither India nor Zimbabwe have happy memories of playing under lights here. Zimbabwe lost twice to West Indies, while India's only defeat here came in a day-night Titan Cup match against South Africa in October 1996.
The average score for teams batting first is 237; it's only 209 for teams chasing. In 12 one-day internationals, only twice have teams batting first managed 250-plus scores here.
India did amass their highest one-day total at this venue, though. Playing New Zealand in November 1999, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid put on an incredible 331 runs – a world record for the second wicket – as India galloped to 376 for 2. Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 186, the highest score at this venue, while Dravid scored 153. New Zealand were bowled out for 202, giving India a massive 174-run victory. That was the last international match played here.
There's little to choose between the performances of seamers and spinners. The pacemen have taken 82 wickets at 35.71, with an economy rate of 4.34. Spinners average 36.79, and concede 4.61 runs per over.
S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com India.
© Wisden CricInfo Ltd
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