India vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI 2026: Ahmedabad pitch report, records and player watchlist

Introduction

Ahmedabad’s ODI record needs care because one ground identity spans more than one name. The historical record includes Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Sardar Patel (Gujarat) Stadium and Gujarat Stadium, while the rebuilt venue is now Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The scopes remain separate rather than treating every old Motera match as proof that every future strip will play identically.

The full men’s ODI ground record contains 32 matches through 12 February 2025. Teams batting first and second have each won 16 times, with no ties or no-results. Run-making has a high ceiling—South Africa made 365/2 in 2010 and India chased 325/5 in 2002—but the ground has also produced Zimbabwe’s 85. The evidence points to a variable surface where a good start can become substantial, but disciplined bowling can still make a score modest.

A separate, narrower sample of eight men’s ODIs whose venue field is exactly “Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad” is useful for recent context. It averages 254.1 in the first innings and 215.4 in the second, with the result split again at four wins each. Those numbers are not substituted for the 32-match historical record: the older Motera/Sardar Patel listings and the current-name sample are reported separately throughout.

Upcoming Ahmedabad city fixture — stadium not officially named

The BCCI home-season release confirms Ahmedabad as the city, date and start time, and ESPNcricinfo’s series schedule cross-checks the same listing. Neither cited fixture listing officially names the stadium for this match. Accordingly, the fixture is city-confirmed, not exact-ground-confirmed; this article does not present it as a confirmed Narendra Modi Stadium booking.

ODI pitch and ground statistics

The full-ground figures come from Howstat’s ODI ground summary, whose identity includes former names. Its first-innings average is 246; it does not publish a second-innings average, so that field is marked Not published rather than reverse-engineered. The eight-match current-name figures are delivery-level calculations from the supplied male ODI archive, not a complete post-rebuild history or all-time replacement.

What recent scorecards say about the pitch

The strongest way to describe Ahmedabad is through exact scorecards rather than a permanent label such as “flat” or “slow.” The recent current-name sample contains both close chases and decisive batting-first wins.

India 265, West Indies 169 — 11 February 2022

This is the verified 11 February 2022 India–West Indies ODI at the current-name venue. India’s 265 was followed by West Indies’ 169, giving India a 96-run win. The scoreline shows that a competitive first-innings total could become commanding when the chasing side lost wickets. It is evidence against assuming that every Ahmedabad ODI turns into a straightforward chase.

Pakistan 191, India 192/3 — 14 October 2023

In the World Cup meeting, Pakistan were dismissed for 191 and India reached 192/3 in 30.3 overs. Rohit Sharma’s 86 led the chase, while Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja each took two wickets. The scorecard commentary records low bounce on two dismissals. That does not prove every ball will keep low, but it shows how seamers and spin can exploit errors. India’s early finish demonstrates how manageable a sub-200 target can become.

Australia 286, England 253 — 4 November 2023

Australia’s 286 and England’s 253 produced a 33-run win. Adam Zampa’s 3/21 led the bowling, while the scorecard records pace-off contributions. This competitive middle-range game underlines the value of changes of pace and middle-overs wickets: batters should build a platform before accelerating, and bowlers can use variation around a 280-level total.

India 356, England 214 — 12 February 2025

The latest men’s ODI in the exact-name sample gives the clearest high-end contrast. India made 356 and beat England by 142 runs after England were dismissed for 214. It confirms that the surface can support a large score, while the margin shows that a chase can unravel well below target. It is a recent scorecard anchor, not a forecast for Sri Lanka.

A fifth recent result reinforces that range: New Zealand chased England’s 282 by making 283 on 5 October 2023. The variation is more informative than a simplistic batting-friendly verdict.

Batting, pace and spin trends

Batting: The ceiling is substantial. South Africa’s 365/2 is the full-ground high, while India’s 356 is highest in the current-name sample. The 325/5 successful chase shows that a strong target can be pursued, but recent scorecards also contain 169 and 191. Batters who settle can score freely; those attacking before reading pace and bounce can expose the lower order.

Pace: New-ball and seam bowling have produced meaningful results. In India’s 2023 win over Pakistan, Bumrah and Siraj both took two wickets, and the scorecard commentary notes low bounce on two dismissals. The broader all-time bowling table is led by Kapil Dev, while Mohammed Siraj is third among the supplied top ten. This supports a pace plan built on accuracy, changes in length and pressure rather than an assumption of constant lateral movement.

Spin: Spin is not a decorative option in Ahmedabad. Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja each took two wickets against Pakistan, and Adam Zampa’s 3/21 was central to Australia’s 33-run win over England. Prasidh Krishna’s 4/12 is the best listed bowling innings in the full ground record, so the venue’s headline figures are not exclusively spin-led; the better conclusion is that spinners can control the middle overs and attack when batters try to force the pace.

Phases: In the exact current-name sample, first innings averaged 49.8 runs and 1.50 wickets in overs 0–9, 155.8 runs and 4.25 wickets in overs 10–39, and 48.6 runs and 3.63 wickets in the final phase. Second innings averaged 61.8 runs and 1.88 wickets in the first ten, 140.6 runs and 3.75 wickets in the middle, and 13.0 runs and 0.75 wickets in the final phase. The second-innings final-phase figure is depressed because completed chases stop before the 50th over; it is not a projected ten-over scoring rate. The broad pattern is a brisker start in chases, a wicket-heavy middle for batting-first innings, and late scoring that depends heavily on how many wickets remain.

Top 10 all-time ODI batters at the ground

These are verified men’s ODI venue figures from Howstat’s complete ground identity, including historic Motera/Sardar Patel records. Averages are ground averages, not career averages.

Rohit Sharma leads with 355 runs, but Rahul Dravid’s 114.00 average and Chris Gayle’s two hundreds show how smaller samples can produce exceptional returns. Devon Conway’s 152* against England on 5 October 2023 is the highest listed individual score, although Conway is not in this aggregate top ten.

Top 10 all-time ODI bowlers at the ground

The following verified venue table is ordered by wickets. Economy, average, strike rate and best bowling in an innings (BBI) are ground figures.

Kapil Dev leads with 10 wickets, while Prasidh Krishna has the best combination of wickets, average and strike rate among these leaders. The figures cover the historic ground identity, not only the rebuilt-stadium era.

Internal Ahmedabad series links

For comparable venue-focused reading, see the Bengaluru ODI pitch report and Delhi ODI pitch report in this series. Both reports likewise separate full-ground records from narrower recent samples where the evidence requires it.

FAQs

Is Narendra Modi Stadium batting friendly for ODIs?

It is capable of rewarding high-quality batting, but “batting friendly” is too absolute. The ground has produced 365/2, India’s 356 in the current-name sample and a 325/5 successful chase, yet it has also produced 85, 169 and 191 in the supplied records. The balanced 16–16 full-ground result split is the clearest summary: totals depend on execution and match situation.

Are spinners important at Narendra Modi Stadium?

Yes, especially through the middle overs. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja both took two wickets against Pakistan in 2023, and Adam Zampa returned 3/21 against England. Pace has also delivered major figures, so the evidence supports using spin as a strong tactical option rather than claiming that the pitch always turns sharply.

Who has the highest ODI score at the ground?

Devon Conway holds the verified highest listed individual ODI score: 152 not out for New Zealand against England on 5 October 2023.

Who has scored the most ODI runs at the ground?

Rohit Sharma leads the verified all-time ground table with 355 runs in eight matches. This table includes historic Motera/Sardar Patel naming under the same Howstat ground identity.

What is the average ODI score at Ahmedabad?

Howstat’s full 32-match ground identity lists a first-innings average of 246 and does not publish a second-innings mean. Separately, the eight exact-current-name men’s ODIs average 254.1 in the first innings and 215.4 in the second. Those sample means must not be confused with the complete historical ground average.

Is chasing easy at Narendra Modi Stadium?

There is no verified basis for calling it automatically easy. The full record is perfectly even at 16 wins batting first and 16 batting second; the current-name sample is also even at four each. Recent results include successful chases of 178, 192, 241 and 283, but also a 169 all out while chasing 266. The target, wickets in hand and quality of execution remain decisive.

Sources

• BCCI: fixtures unveiled for Team India’s international home season 2026/27
• ESPNcricinfo: Sri Lanka tour of India 2026/27 schedule
• ESPNcricinfo: Narendra Modi Stadium ODI ground records
• Howstat: Ahmedabad ODI ground statistics
• Howstat: Ahmedabad ODI ground match list
• Howstat: top ODI batters at the ground
• Howstat: top ODI bowlers at the ground
• India vs West Indies, 11 February 2022 scorecard
• India vs Pakistan, 14 October 2023 scorecard
• Australia vs England, 4 November 2023 scorecard
• India vs England, 12 February 2025 scorecard

More in this series: six-match tour schedule, Delhi Odi report, Bengaluru Odi report.