With more rain forecast for Sunday, there could be further disappointment for local fans who have a rare opportunity to witness an international match at the venue that was once one of the five permanent Test centres of yore
Groundsmen cover the field as rain delays play on Saturday. Pic/AFP
The retreating monsoon is wreaking havoc in the second Test match between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium here. Only 35 overs were bowled on the opening day, but the second day turned out even worse. The intermittent rain on Saturday meant the ground remained fully covered right throughout and though the teams arrived at the ground on time, they returned to their hotel as soon as it began to rain. The day was called off at the tea interval as the umpires saw no hope of improvement. With more rain forecast for Sunday, there could be further disappointment for local fans who have a rare opportunity to witness an international match at the venue that was once one of the five permanent Test centres of yore.
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Crucial WTC points at stake
After the second day was called off without a ball being bowled, there is a bit of concern in the Indian camp as the chances of getting a result are getting bleaker. In the World Test Champions (WTC) race to the finals, a win earns a team 12 points while a draw means four points to both teams, a net loss of eight points. However, the good news is that India still have eight matches after this one in the WTC 2023-25 cycle. Three are at home against the struggling New Zealand next month and five games will be played in Australia later this year. India are currently atop the WTC rankings with 71.67 points, followed by Australia (62.50).
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Strong sunshine essential
As for this game, the drainage system at the stadium here was re-laid a decade ago and is in fairly good condition. But the problem is that the River Ganga flows just a couple of kilometres from the stadium. Thus, the water level of the ground is pretty high and it takes much longer for the outfield to dry. Hence, strong sunshine is required to get the ground in playable condition. Unfortunately, the sun didn’t come out even once on Saturday.
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