India has very little experience of playing T20I matches at the Chepauk. However, the Indian players are used to the venue because of the IPL games played there

After losing the first Super 8 match at the hands of South Africa, the Men in Blue move to MA Chidambaram Stadium, also known as the Chepauk, in Chennai for their next game against Zimbabwe. Ahead of the game, let us look at India’s T20I record at the venue and the kind of pitches Chepauk is likely to offer, hopefully in line with the style of India’s gameplay.

India team has arrived at Chennai for the India vs England 2nd T20I. 🇮🇳#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/eQ3kWlLSq5

— Samar (@samarsp11) January 23, 2025

Last match

India’s last match at the Chepauk was on Jan. 25, 2025, versus England. England batted first and scored 165 runs, with 45 runs coming off Jos Buttler’s bat in 30 deliveries. Brydon Carse also played a brilliant cameo down the order, hitting 31 runs in 17 deliveries at a strike rate of 182.35.

In response, the majority of India’s batting line-up struggled with runs, such as 5, 12, 12, 4, and 7 coming off the willows of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Dhruv Jurel, and Hardik Pandya, respectively. However, amidst the chaos, Tilak Varma stood his ground and scored 72 runs in 55 balls.

Most runs between two dismissals in T20Is (Full member)

- 318* Tilak Varma (107*, 120*, 19*, 72*)
- 271 M Chapman (65*, 16*, 71*, 104*, 15)
- 240 A Finch (68*, 172)
- 240 Shreyas Iyer (57*, 74*, 73*, 36)
- 239 Warner (100*, 60*, 57*, 2*, 20)

pic.twitter.com/AzDcfrZ8nX

— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) January 25, 2025

Down the order, Washington Sundar also came to India’s rescue, scoring 26 runs in 19 deliveries that helped India chase down the target with three balls to spare.

Only three games

Apart from the game against England, India has played only two more T20I matches at the Chepauk. In 2018, India had met the West Indies at the venue and won the game by six wickets, whereas in 2012, India’s first match at the venue against New Zealand turned out to be a one-run defeat.

Pitches on offer

Traditionally known for its spin-friendly pitches, the Chepauk curators seem to have made some changes for the World Cup that have ensured the ball reaches the bat. In fact, the Chepauk has been batter-friendly for teams such as Afghanistan and New Zealand, who managed big runs in their game.

(Credit- The New Indian Express)

The pitches on offer, one with red soil whereas two with black, have been made ready for the game and promise to offer the excellent bounce that Indian batters are accustomed to. Not to forget, the pitch since it was relaid four years ago has helped teams regularly score anywhere between 180 and 200 runs, so this will be the very first time where Indian batters will have their say, unlike the pitches in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad, where Indian batters struggled to overcome the slow pitches.

The game should ideally go India's way, but this time, the team collectively needs to get everything right. One more slip-up, and the defending champions will lose their throne.