India vs England 2016: Teams unable to practise due to the after-effects of Cyclone Vardah

With just two days to go for the fifth and final Test between India and England at Chennai, the two teams’ preparations have been dealt a big blow. Both India and England will be unable to practise before the match begins on Friday due to the after-effects of the cyclone Vardah.

The cyclone, which made landfall in Chennai on Monday, wreaked havoc in the city as many trees and buildings were destroyed; a lot of civilians lost their lives in the process too. The city was in such a bad state that Chief Minister O Panneerselvam requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sanction at least Rs. 1,000 crore from the national disaster response fund to the state for immediate relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

While many parts of the city crumbled under the effects of the cyclone, the Chepauk stadium did not get affected as badly, according to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association officials. Although the cyclone damaged the sight screen, displaced the bulbs of the floodlights and destroyed the air conditioners present in various parts of the stadium, the silver lining was that the pitch remained unaffected.

"The reassuring part is that the pitch and the outfield have not been affected by the cyclone. But sightscreen has been damaged. The bulbs have blown off, air conditioners damaged. There are hundreds of tree trunks lying on the road leading up to the stadium. Our challenge is to set everything in order in the next two days. I am confident we will be able to set everything right," TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan told PTI on Tuesday.

Despite the pitch remaining unaffected, the practice grounds are in no condition to be used as they have taken a good beating, according to Viswanathan. The much-touted indoor facility cannot be used either as water seeped into the facility on Monday. Due to these factors, both the teams will be unable to practise before the match begins.

Viswanathan added, “We have informed both teams that they can't practise here as a result of the cyclone. We have intimated the same to BCCI as well. The practice pitches at MAC B too aren't in good shape.

"There is water inside the indoor facility and practice won't be possible. But in case the teams insist, we will try to arrange for the indoor nets at the SRMC cricket centre.”

The game is set to begin on Friday, with England playing for pride and looking to achieve their first win of the season before they travel back home for the Christmas break. The English pacers would be relishing the fact that the pitch, which was initially supposed to assist the spinners, might assist them now – given the fact that it has been under covers for the last two days.

India, on the other hand, would be going into the match with a lot of confidence, looking to inflict another defeat on the visitors. As far as team news is concerned, they will be without the services of Mohammad Shami and Wriddhiman Saha, who have both been ruled out due to their respective injuries.