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What's the story?
The heat and humidity at the Eden Garden in Kolkata has gotten the better of most of the Australian players out on the field in the second ODI of the five-match series. With Kohli winning the toss and opting to bat first, all eleven of the visitors' players were on the field in harsh conditions.
While Kane Richardson was struggling to stroll back to bowl another delivery, wicketkeeper Matthew Wade threw up on a couple of instances and was toiling to maintain his concentration. Few other Australian players were seen using ice packs as well.
The severe conditions were a part of lengthened discussions in the commentary box as well.
"Sunil Gavaskar came back in the press box after the build-up show and his shirt needed a squeeze," said Harsha Bhogle claiming that he himself found it difficult to stand out on the ground before the match. Gavaskar later added that "I was fading".
In case you didn't know...
Various weather forecasts had suggested that rain might play as big a part as it did in the first ODI today as well, however, what turned out was a complete opposite.
The heart of the matter
The temperature in Kolkata is close to 31-degree Celsius, with humidity 73% and precipitation 30%.
Because of showers on the last couple of days in the city, the humidity and precipitation levels shot up, making conditions hard for the players, especially Aussies, to play in.
Interestingly, today's not the first time that Wade has struggled with humidity in the stadium. Previously in an ODI against Pakistan back home, the wicketkeeper-batsman was struggling to keep the Australian innings together in tough conditions. Supposedly, he then 'gargled pickle juice' on the boundary in between his innings and then went on to slam a hundred.
The 29-year-old would love some of it right now!
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Author's Take
As I write this article, India are currently cruising with 131 runs on the board for the loss of three wickets with Kohli looking set for another century. Clearly, the visitors are struggling to keep themselves composed on the field in adverse conditions and the Indian batsmen, though clearly affected themselves, are making the most of it. Moreover, unlike the last match, Steve Smith has been forced to bring his sixth bowler into the game as well - conditions clearly playing their part in the match.
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