India vs Australia, 2017: Rain may play spoilsport during the second Test

What’s the story?

After losing the first Test by 333 runs, the Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team will look to bounce back in the second Test against Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from tomorrow (4th March). The fans are already excited to see the hosts coming out all guns blazing against the Aussies. All their hopes of India coming out on top could be dashed as the city is expected to see some rainfall during the course of the match. On and off rains are anticipated on all five days as the clouds are expected to be over the region.

The latest weather model suggests that the rainfall is expected to be less and scattered on the first two days (March 4 and 5) but from March 6 till the end of the match, the rainfall is expected to be widespread with more intensity. The minimum temperature is expected to be around 18°C while the maximum temperature of the city during the course of the match will be around 31°C.

In case you didn’t know...

In the last few years, several matches in Bengaluru were affected by the rain. Only one day’s play was possible when the last time the city hosted a Test match (against South Africa in 2015). Though there was no rain, it took a lot of time for the ground to get ready for the match to begin as the drainage system at the venue was poor. The city’s franchise in the IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore have also had a lot of nightmare with the rains in the past.

The solution

After the Test match against South Africa in 2015 was washed out due to rain and a wet outfield, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) unveiled a state-of-the-art drainage system at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to make sure that a wet outfield does not result in abandoning a cricket match. The new facilities consist of the subsurface aeration and vacuum-powered system designed to ensure rapid drying of the outfield.

With this, the outfield will be dried in a matter of minutes. The drained water from the outfield will be stored in a tank underneath the ground. The water from the tank will then be reused for upkeep and maintenance of the stadium. With this, Bengaluru becomes the first cricket stadium in the world to have the subsurface aeration system.

Extra cover: Now a wet outfield at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is a thing of the past

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Sportskeeda’s Take

This is not the first time a cricket match in Bengaluru is threatened by the rain. But this time, the venue is well prepared to counter the rain threat, thanks to their new drainage system. Even if it rains, it won’t take a long time for the ground to get ready for the play to begin. Unless it rains throughout all the five days, the fans can witness some action and can expect the Test match to produce a result.