IND vs ENG, 2nd ODI Pitch Report: Cuttack ground conditions; stats, records, toss factor at Barabati Stadium

IND vs ENG, 2nd ODI Pitch Report: Cuttack ground conditions; stats, records, toss factor at Barabati Stadium

The second One-Day International between India and England will be held at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday. India leads the three-match series 1-0 after beating England by four wickets in the series opener at Nagpur.

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England failed to adapt to the conditions in the first ODI as it was bowled out for just 248 runs after electing to bat. The Jos Buttler-led side will quickly need to take stock and bounce back in the second game to keep the series alive.

The visitor will face a stiff challenge from India, which has a formidable record in ODIs in Cuttack, having won 13 out of the 17 games it has played at the venue. Moreover, India is unbeaten in ODIs at the Barabati Stadium since 2003, winning the last seven matches it has played here.

The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack isn’t a very high-scoring ground, with the 300-run mark being breached only in six innings out of a total of 38 innings played here since 1982. However, the fact that four of those 300-plus scores have come in the last eight years indicates that the surface has increasingly become better for batters.

Though the seamers have picked more wickets (137) than their spin bowling counterparts (88) in ODIs at the venue, the tweakers have a better bowling average (36) and economy rate (4.74).

With the possibility of dew setting in later in the evening, the toss could play a role as teams would want to chase. Historically, too, teams have been more successful batting second, winning 12 out of 19 matches. However, the team winning the toss hasn’t had any overwhelming advantage in Cuttack as it has won eight matches while losing 11.

Batting second, though, has been the preferred choice, with teams choosing to field 11 out of 19 times so far.

Published on Feb 08, 2025