Rohit Sharma in nets session© X (Twitter)
As Team India focuses on its next assignment after the 2-0 clean sweep against Bangladesh, the opening clash against New Zealand in Bengaluru faces the threat of abandonment. The weather forecast for the city paints quite a gloomy picture, with heavy rain expected on all 5 days of the Test, starting October 16. In fact, Team India's practice session on Tuesday also had to be cancelled due to heavy rain. Dense cloud cover and incessant rain are what the weather portals are predicting for the next 5 days as well.
India, who sit top of the ICC World Test Championship points table, are keen to add more points to their tally and strengthen their final qualification hopes. New Zealand, on the other hand, are coming into the series on the back of a demoralising defeat against Sri Lanka.
Bengaluru Weather Forecast October 16 to 20:
October 16: 41% chance of rain
October 17: 40% chance of rain
October 18: 67% chance of rain
October 19: 25% chance of rain
October 20: 40% chance of rain
— Karnataka Weather (@Bnglrweatherman) October 15, 2024
Heavy rain Next 4to5 days in chinnaswamy stadium Bengaluru .
— JassPreet (@JassPreet96) October 14, 2024
This stadium venue India VS New Zealand First test.#INDVSNZ pic.twitter.com/3GNQhTKXsF
As can be seen from the weather forecast, as per Accuweather, October 19 is the only day with less than 30% chance of rain. Though the M Chinnaswamy Stadium's drainage system is excellent, India and New Zealand would still need some help from the weather gods in order to get a result out of the series opener.
From the weather situation in the city, it is clear that there are high chances of the match getting abandoned due to rain. A full 5-day even looks highly unlikely. Even getting a result out form the contest looks tough at the moment.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir, addressing the press conference on Monday, had shared a glimpse of his plans for the team, going into the series.
Speaking of the team composition, Gambhir said: "It (combination) depends on conditions, wicket and opposition. The best part about this dressing room is that we've got so many high-quality players and we can select any of them. We know they can do the job for us. That is what is called the depth."
"We'll have a look at the wicket tomorrow. We'll have a chat and see what is the best combination to do the job at the Chinnaswamy Stadium," he added.