Constantly grim predictions from the local Met Bureau have bombarded local news outlets all week. Flood alerts were issued as late as Friday evening. To follow them up, it rained nearly through the night, leading to Pakistan’s early morning session being rescheduled. When the Indians trained a few hours later, bright sunshine, huge crowds and cheery chants were the order of the day. It seemed a miraculous turnaround but as expected, a short-lived one.
That brings us to the not-so-good news: in rain-hit games, team managements can never really trust the combinations they have been working on and must be flexible with their plans. How skippers Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam must be wishing for rolling substitutions in T20s!
A shortened game will mean adopting a manic batting approach from the start, something India have been consciously working on for a while now, even while reposing their faith in experience. A bit of swing if they bowl first in overcast conditions could be a blessing. India have been in Australia a few weeks and have played a few warm-up games. A win here and they could be on a roll. A loss and ghosts of last year’s T20 World Cup and recent Asia Cup reversals could leave them shell-shocked again for the rest of the tournament.
India are definitely under pressure to make a good start but so much talk of the rain is a distraction. “Winning the toss does become a little more important,” Rohit mused, worriedly. By late evening, as the Pakistani cricketers trooped in to train, ominous dark clouds had again enveloped the city. The joy, cheer and sunshine of the early afternoon seemed like a forgotten memory.