The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has imported four new super-soppers from Australia despite the fact that the rain that pelted Chennai over the last week has stopped and the outlook is getting better. This is because they don’t want to take any chances before India’s opening World Cup match against Australia. The possibility of rain on game day, according to the weather office, is only 10%. However, the week is forecast to be quite hot, which could occasionally result in showers.
The city has had heavy rain for the previous three weeks, forcing the TNCA to postpone at least three of its league games. Since the scheduled games were played on Monday, the situation during the weekend was the same.
Rainfall from the north-east monsoon, which often kicks up in October or November, is heavy to very heavy in Chennai. The region frequently experiences thunderstorms and showers despite the met office’s assertion that the conditions are favorable for the retreat of the south-west monsoon.
Work at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which will host four additional matches after the India-Australia game, was in full flow on Monday with just five days till the contest.
“We didn’t want to take any chances, so we purchased four new, advanced super-soppers for the World Cup. To ensure that we have all bases covered, we also replaced all of the previous covers with new ones, including thick ones, a TNCA official stated.
The square and run-up portions in Chennai will only be covered in case of rain, unlike the Eden Gardens and venues in Sri Lanka where it is customary to cover the entire field.
The Chepauk outfield stayed dry despite recent rains, and the grounds crew was busy finishing up the pitches. According to The Indian Express, three pitches are being readied for India’s opening match, and the decision will be made 48 hours prior to the contest. There have only been five totals above 300 in the venue’s history, with four of those totals being during the 2007 Afro-Asia Cup. The arena has historically been a spinner’s paradise.
India hasn’t reached 300 at the stadium, and all signs point to a match with an appropriate ratio of bat to ball. The grass cover held the surface together in the oppressively hot circumstances on Monday, giving the field a green tint.
There is concern that since the World Cup is being contested in October and November, dew will have a significant impact on how the games turn out. The toss becomes important in these circumstances because teams that bat second typically have an advantage. Dew is unlikely to have any impact on Sunday’s game, though, because of the weather element. There has reportedly been no trace of dew since pitch preparation started a couple of weeks ago, which is fantastic news for India.
If the weather stays dry, the hosts would keep their options open regarding their bowling lineup and might even deploy three spinners. When India and Australia last faced off at Chepauk in March, Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar helped the five-time world champions triumph.
The Chepauk grounds crew had to temporarily erect umbrellas over the plaza during the 2011 World Cup to stop the pitch from deteriorating from the heat. The highest score at the location, which held four matches, was India’s total of 268 versus the West Indies in that edition. The Chepauk square has undergone two re-layings since that time, and recently the pitch has begun to restore some of the bounce that was once one of its distinctive features.
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