India vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023: Kandy Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report & Weather Forecast

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India will look to seal their Super Four spot when they face Nepal in their final first round Group A match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka on Monday (September 4).

Rohit Sharma-led Team India head into the match on the back of a wash out against arch-rivals Pakistan in their campaign opener, while Rohit Paudel's Nepal are fresh from a massive 238-run loss to Babar Azam's side in the tournament opener.

Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan dug India out of trouble in their innings, which ended with 266 runs on the board before rain washed out any further play, depriving the likes of Jasprit Bumrah to get more bowling under his belt.

Nepal, on the other hand, will look to do better with both bat and ball after conceding 342 runs against Pakistan and then getting bundled out for a paltry 104. They will, however, have their task cut out against an opposition like India.

Both teams need a win to confirm their spots in the Super Four for which Pakistan has already booked their berth following one win and one no result, which saw them split a point with India.

Giants of the game, India start favourites against minnows Nepal, but after the previous match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium was washed out due to rain, will we see a full match on Monday (September 4) when Rohit & Co will look to get some bowling under their belt?

Here is a look at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium pitch report and Kandy weather forecast ahead of the first round group stage Asia Cup 2023 match IND vs NEP:

Kandy Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report

The wickets at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium have assisted the quick bowlers early on, but have favoured slower bowlers as the game progresses, but going by history, defending a target is a challenge especially under lights with the chasing team enjoying more success.

In the recent matches, Sri Lanka chased down a paltry score of 164, while India scored 266 in a truncated game with both matches seeing pacers enjoy conditions. Average score batting first at the venue is 245 in men's ODIs with only a few innings crossing the 300-run mark.

In the 34 ODIs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, 18 matches have been won by the team chasing and 14 by team defending a total. So, the captain winning the toss on Monday (September 4) may also look to follow the pattern. But will we have a full game?

Kandy Weather Forecast on Monday, September 4

It is expected to be a cloudy day with showers. The maximum temperature is expected to be 27° C at the start of the match (3 PM Local Time), but that will reduce to as low as 21° C before the end of play.

Rain Prediction for September 4 in Kandy: There is 50 percent chance of rain during the day and in the lead up to the match. So, expect some interruption due to weather during the match.

As per AccuWeather, there is prediction for showers at 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM, 2 PM and 4 PM Local Time with the rain expected to return again around 11 PM Local Time. So, there is chance of a start-sop kind of play. But unlikely to completely wash out an innings or a match.

However, Weather.com predicts there will be showers only in the morning around 8 AM Local Time with the rest of the day remaining cloudy with very little chance of rain, promising almost full day's action in Kandy.

The overcast conditions will favour quicker bowlers and Team India should use the conditions to bowl out Nepal for a small total and chase the score down soon to book their spots in the Super Fours.

India vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023 Match Details, Live Streaming & Telecast

Match Date: Monday, September 4, 2023

Match Start Time: 3 PM IST

Telecast Channel: Star Sports 1 SD and Star Sports 1 HD

Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar