It’s going to be a bit of a nervy afternoon for the teams at Chepauk. Rain and storms are in the offing, but a total write-off is not on the cards. You can put money on some hiccups and a change of plan from the very first over rather than the whole thing being called off.
Clouds over Chepauk, but washout unlikely
Accuweather has us in for a stop-start kind of day. Morning sun and high clouds should give way to a much cloudier, stormier afternoon. The heaviest of it is due to hit around the time of the toss, but the chances of a complete washout are still very slim.
When the 1 pm toss comes around, so will a change in the mood. We’re looking at 49 per cent odds of some precipitation with the clouds in. Then from 2 pm, expect some thunderstorms to make themselves known for an hour or more. By 4 pm things should be on the mend as the rain lets up, though the overcast won’t be in a hurry to leave.
All in all, the numbers have an edge to them. You’ve got 55 per cent for rain, 33 for thunder. And the cloud cover? It’s running at 76 per cent and isn’t budging, with 78 per cent and 80 per cent humidity likely to stick with you into the evening.
Timing that could tilt the match
Here is what the timeline has in store:
– 1 pm: 49 per cent chance of rain at the toss
– 2 pm and after: over an hour of thunder
– 4 pm: the rain eases, the clouds don’t
Upgraded drainage changes the risk calculus
This isn’t the same Chepauk of a year back. They put in a lot of work before the T20 World Cup to fix up the outfield and the drainage. It means when it does pour, you can be more sure of a quick recovery and less of a rain-ruined ending.
Pitch and bowling dynamics
They’re using pitch no. 4 for this one, a red-soil surface with some give to it. With the heavy clouds rolling in, there should be enough for the pacers to work with in the early going, especially in that first hour or so.
Then again, you can’t lose sight of Chennai’s roots. The wicket has a way of offering something to the slow ones, and Afghanistan will be eyeing that. “We know that Chennai spins a little bit more, so we would obviously be hoping for our spinners to play a bit of a bigger part,” says field coach John Mooney.
Mooney was also quick to point out his lead man and set a task for the rest: “Rashid has shown in his class all the way through. That second and third spinner, we just need, hopefully, for them to step up a bit.” India might like to make use of the cover above before they let their slower options loose later on.
Heat, humidity and player load
India have come in from a swelter in Lucknow for the second ODI, where it was well over 40 degrees. Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan were left with cramps after their hundred, a case in point of how these conditions can wear you down.
Chennai is its own kind of test. Saturday’s top temperature will be in the 35s, but the air is going to be thick with 67 per cent humidity, climbing to 80 by nightfall. It puts a strain on everything from your grip to your fielding as the game goes on.
We’ve been here before in this series; the opener in Dharamshala had to be cut to 25 overs because of the rain. A short end to it is in the realm of possibility if the afternoon storms put in an appearance, but with the better drainage and the evening clearing up, a result is what we’ll most likely get.
For the men in charge, the big decisions will come in waves: do you go for it under the cloud, when do you put the new ball in, and how soon do you trust the spin? The weather will be there. What makes the difference at Chepauk is how you handle it.
