Kolkata: Kolkata was washed with rains early Saturday morning, hours before the crucial group match that India need to win to keep hope afloat in the World Cup T20 championship.
The rain was pretty steady for two hours keeping ground staff on tenterhooks -- ahead of a clash that generates a completely different range of emotions among fans of both countries.
“It was heavy in the morning and the roads were blocked,” a fan present at the Eden Gardens said.
However, the skies cleared by early afternoon and there was bright sunshine. The match starts at 7.30 pm and fans would be hoping that rain gods don’t play spoilsport during this marquee clash.
This is the Norwester or the Kalbaishakhi season in Bengal and Bangladesh -- local thunderstorms and strong squalls that frequently lash the region from end March till the monsoon. Unfortunately, there is an ominous prediction of showers in the evening today.
The drainage at Eden Gardens is also a perennial problem because of which several international and Indian Premier League (IPL) matches have been washed out in the past.
For this match, a golf-course pitchmaker has worked on the Eden drainage and outfield. A new super sopper machine also arrived last Sunday, taking the total super sopper count to five.
Let’s hope for rain-free action on Saturday evening. India enter as favourites after having defeated Pakistan last time the two sides met in the Asia Cup. M S Dhoni and Co will be desperate for a win after the shocking loss to New Zealand at Nagpur in the Super 10 opener.
The numbers, however, favour Pakistan when it comes to Eden, who have beaten their arch rivals four times in ODIs. They have won and lost a game each in Tests.
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