India, Afghanistan reach Lucknow for 2nd ODI match:Practice session to be held at Ekana today; IND vs AFG 2nd ODI tomorrow

Team India and Afghanistan arrived in Lucknow on Monday ahead of the ODI match at Ekana Cricket Stadium on June 17. The day-night fixture will begin at 1:30 PM, with the toss scheduled for 1 PM. The Indian team landed at Lucknow Airport on a chartered flight at around 4 PM. Captain Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh were among the players spotted at the airport. Gill and Iyer were also seen chatting on arrival. A large number of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the players, but due to security arrangements, the team was taken directly to the hotel by bus. The Afghanistan team reached Lucknow later in the day. According to the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), Afghanistan will train at Ekana Stadium from 1 PM on Tuesday, while India will hold its final practice session from 4 PM to 7 PM. Both teams have won one match each at Ekana An interesting statistic has emerged before the ODI match between India and Afghanistan. Although cricket experts and fans may consider the Indian team stronger on paper, Afghanistan has more experience playing at the Ekana ground than India. Afghanistan has played four ODI matches at Ekana Stadium so far. The team won one match, while facing defeat in three encounters. On the other hand, the Indian team has played only two ODI matches at this ground, in which it has one win and one loss. Both teams had victories in World Cup 2023 The last memories for both India and Afghanistan at Ekana Stadium have been of victories. Both teams had played matches here during the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Indian team had registered a brilliant victory by 100 runs against England at Ekana. In that match, Indian bowlers had stopped England’s strong batting lineup. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan team had also defeated Netherlands by seven wickets on the same ground. This victory had boosted the Afghan team’s confidence and the team had challenged many big teams in the tournament. Afghanistan players used to practice at Ekana The Ekana Stadium has an old relationship with the Afghanistan cricket team. When the Afghanistan cricket team was establishing its identity at the international level, due to lack of necessary facilities for cricket in their own country, the team needed alternative options for practice. In the year 2019, at the request of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made Ekana Stadium available as a practice venue for the Afghan team. The Afghanistan team practiced here for about four to five months. During this time, Test, ODI and T-20 matches between Afghanistan and West Indies were also played at Ekana. Due to this, many Afghan players are familiar with the conditions of this ground. Apart from this, many Afghan players have also played at Ekana in IPL matches. Both teams will want to take advantage of Ekana’s pitch There is always discussion about Ekana’s pitch. Here, fast bowlers can get help in the initial overs, while as the game progresses, it can become easier for batsmen to score runs. The Indian team has the advantage of experienced batsmen and a strong bowling attack. Afghanistan’s team is known for its spin bowling. Ekana’s conditions can provide additional help to their spinners. In the match, Indian batsmen will face the challenge of Afghanistan’s spin attack.