India vs Sri Lanka: Guwahati is not a happy hunting venue for Sri Lankans

Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: India will take on Sri Lanka in the first game of the three-match ODI series at the ACA Stadium here on Tuesday. It will be the third occasion when both the teams will meet each other in Guwahati. However Sri Lankan team is visiting the city for the fourth time. They lost all their previous matches here.

It was 1987 when Sri Lanka for the first time visited Guwahati to play an ODI against India. The match was held at the Nehru stadium and the home team won the tie by 8 wickets. Then during the Hero Cup in 1993, the island team travelled the city for a group match against South Africa where they were beaten by 78 runs. Again in 1997, they faced a 7-wicket loss against Sachin Tendulkar-led Team India.

Meanwhile it will be the 18th occasion when Guwahati is allotted ODI matches. Guwahati had been recognized as an international venue during the winter of 1983 when India took on the mighty West Indians whose leader was Sir Viv Richards. Later India was associated with 12 more matches with different teams. Among the 13 matches India won 7 and lost 4. There was no result in the other two matches, involving England, as one game was abandoned and the other one was cancelled at the last moment.

At the ACA Stadium, it will be the second occasion when India is going to play an ODI. In the first game, held in 2018, India defeated West Indies by 8 wickets. India, chasing 323, reached the target successfully in 42.1 overs losing two wickets. The match witnessed three centuries. Shimron Hetmyer scored 106 and later three-figure knocks came from Rohit Sharma (152) and Virat kohli (140).

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