Dew could impact match, seamers likely to hold fort
DHARAMSALA: After cyclone Hudhud forced cancellation of the third ODI in Visakhapatnam, India and West Indies are set to resume their rivalry at the picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
It has been 10 years since the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium in Dharamsala came into existence. Since then the venue has hosted an ODI in 2013 and a few IPL matches for Kings XI Punjab.
The location of the stadium — it is situated at an altitude of 4780 feet — and the cool weather make it conducive venue for fast bowlers. With the series hanging in balance, India skipper MS Dhoni will do well to rely on past experience of playing on this venue in the IPL, and also in the one-off ODI against England in January last year. India had lost half its side with just 80 runs on the board in the ODI. The hosts went on to lose the game after setting a modest score of 226.
“We have prepared a fast but sporting wicket. The ball is likely to swing and in case it rains, fast bowlers can expect a lot of swing. Even in normal conditions, the pitch will have good bounce and carry,” HPCA curator Sunil Chauhan said.
The pitch will, in all probability, be in stark contrast to the slow and low track in Delhi, and India batsmen will have their task cut out. Both squads will arrive on Thursday by chartered flights and are likely to head straight for practice to get accustomed to the surroundings.
The other factors the teams will be taking into account will the weather and dew. While the day temperatures hover around 22 degrees C, in the night, temperatures drop to 8 degrees C.
“We are expecting dew to come into play around 9pm, but we have countermeasures ready. But in any case, we think, by that time more than half of the game will be over,” added Chauhan.
EXPECTING FULL HOUSE As far as the association is concerned, the town and the stadium are likely to be seized by cricket-crazy fans, with local hotels already reporting full occupancy.
“We have bought tickets after much jostling. There is a huge interest around the match and I had to stand in the queue for nearly four hours to get a ticket,” Kamal, a BA final-year student said.