The excitement level is all time high as Virat Kohli and his 'Men in Blue' are all set to begin their ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 campaign on June 5 against South Africa. This will be the 8th match of the tournament so far. The South Africa vs India match will be played at The Rose Bowl, also known as The Ageas Bowl. Located in Southampton, it was established in 2001 with a capacity of 6,500 people. However it can accommodate up to 20,000 people with temporary seating.

The Ageas Bowl was designed by award-winning architects Michael Hopkins and Partners. While being a splendid feat of architecture, its location proved problematic for spectators in the early days. The venue was also criticized during Champions Trophy in 2004, as the access to ground for England key fixture got difficult.

This World cup, The Rose Bowl will host a total of 5 matches. Previously, it has hosted 27 One Day Internationals. Out of it, 10 matches were won by the home team, 7 were won by the touring team and the 5 were won by neutral teams. The highest innings made on this ground was of 373 runs made by England against Pakistan.

Key Facts:

Opened : 2001

Capacity: 6,500 (20,000 with temporary seating)

Known as: The Ageas Bowl, West End

Ends: Pavilion End, Northern End

Location: Southampton, England

Time Zone: UTC +01:00

Home to: Hampshire, Hampshire 2nd XI

Floodlights: Yes

Weather:

The weather is not supposed to play a spoilsport during India's clash against South Africa with the met office predicting zero chance of rain