India Vs New Zealand T20 at Chennai - it is raining now

With rain washing out the first T20 at Visakhapatnam, it is now down to one-off to be played at MA Chidamabraram Stadium, known as Chepauk Stadium in Chennai.  It is to be first ever T20 International in Chennai

It is raining and it poured down a few minutes ago,  much closer to the Stadium  - the possibility of another wash out threat looms large.  Why not BCCI use technology or at least common sense not to have matches,  in areas where it is most likely to rain due to monsoon…… it would not require any great brain to know that it rains in Chennai in September !!

Chennai has never hosted a T20 – other than IPL matches – it has hosted 18 matches of One dayers.  India played in 10 of them – won 5, lost 3 and two were no results – one a wash out without a single ball being bowled. 

The first ODI at  Madras, was the first match in Reliance World Cup 1987 on Oct 9 – perhaps it was  Kapil Dev's sportsmanship that undid as India lost by a solitary run to Border’s team.  No one would have thought so, especially after the start of Gavaskar, Srikkanth and then the partnership with the new born Navjot Singh Sidhu on a comeback.  Sidhu hit 5 sixers – extremely great those days !  In the tied Test, it was Maninder Singh who got out to Greg Mathews and here it was the same Maninder, this time to Steve Waugh. Gavaskar was out at 69; Srikkanth at 131 and Sidhu at 207 – chasing 270 – Indians were 246 for 5 when Shastri perished.  At 256, Kapil and Binny got out; Manoj Prabhakar at 265 and Maninder at 269 – excruciatingly short. 

On Nov 22, 2005, the match between India Vs South Africa had to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.  Earlier in Oct 2003, India made 141 for 3 in 26.5 overs when rain stopped the game.   Now perhaps the Kiwi match could go the same way !  Yuvraj itching to play and Harbhajan with little chance would be cursing the weather.  Another who could make a comeback is local lad Laxmipathi Balaji.

Since 1995 till 2005,  three of the seven Tests at Chennai have been severely affected - two of these were held in October and the third one against Sri Lanka in 2005, was staged in December. Two of the other four were played in March, one in January and the other against West Indies in October 2002 - where 105 minutes were lost to rain on the second day but India's spinners ensured it didn't alter the result.

During IPL matches tickets cost a bounty – now from the minimum amount of Rs.700/- it has fallen down to Rs.200/- for an International T20 – leave it to your guess

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.