India Vs New Zealand 2nd ODI: Raipur SVNS International Stadium Pitch Report and Weather Forecast

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium set to host first international match on January 21, 2023 (Image Courtesy: Twitter)

Raipur, January 19: Team India will look to seal yet another bilateral series when they clash with New Zealand in the second ODI at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Saturday (January 21).

Rohit Sharma and Co opened the three-match series with a 12-run victory in a run-feast at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday (January 18).

That encounter will be remembered for the double hundred scored by Shubman Gill, who has been on a great run since making his debut in the 50-over format. The match also saw visitors fightback thanks to a hundred by Michael Bracewell.

While Gill's knock 208 off 149 balls powered India to 349/8 in 50 overs, Black Caps, who looked to be headed for huge defeat, fought back through Bracewell (140 off 78 balls) and Mitchell Santner (57 off 45 balls) seventh-wicket partnership of 162 from 102 balls.

But their fightback went in vain as Mohammed Siraj (4 for 46) starred with the ball for India. In the final over, Shardul Thakur pulled off a yorker to end the match in the hosts' favour.

Now, India will hope to go 2-0 up in the series when the action shifts to Raipur, while New Zealand will look to level the series to make the final ODI interesting.

India and New Zealand will clash for the first time at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium. This in fact will be the first time the venue hosts an international match, having hosted a few IPL, Champions League and Road Safety World Series matches so far.

Here is a look at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh (SVNS) International Stadium Pitch Report and Raipur Weather Forecast ahead of India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI:

Raipur SNVS International Stadium Info, Pitch & Weather Report

Seating Capacity: 65,000

Number of matches hosted: 6 IPL Matches, 8 CL Matches, 20 RSWS Matches

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium Pitch Report

Like the other Indian wickets, which are batters paradise, the wickets in Raipur too will be the same with the recent T20 games hosted at the venue, seeing average scores of 170, but tend to get slower as the game progresses, meaning the spinners would enjoy bowling here than the pacers, who could also use variations like slower balls and cutters to get something out of the track. This will tempt the captains to bat first and make use of the wicket and then put the pressure on the chasing side with slower bowlers.

Raipur Weather Forecast

The weather forecast for Saturday (January 21) indicates a hot afternoon followed by a little cooler conditions in the evening with max temperature of 32^o C dropping to a minimum temperature of 19^o C during the playing hours. There is no chance of rain for the whole day and in the lead up to the match as well. So, the match should see no interruption due to weather at least.