India vs Australia: Mohali, Delhi ODIs face possibility of being relocated in light of rising tensions with Pakistan

The first casualty of the India-Pakistan imbroglio will not be the World Cup cricket encounter, but rather the India-Australia fourth ODI in Mohali on 10 March and the one following that in Delhi. Sources revealed that with chances of a flare up with Pakistan escalating, the day-night match at Mohali would have to be shifted out for logistical reasons. To start with, the stadium is virtually next door to a key Indian Air Force base and is located directly in its flight path. This was the reason why it was not given permission to erect conventional tall light towers in the first place. [caption id=“attachment_6170381” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representative image. AFP[/caption] Instead, Mohali’s stadium boasts an improvised design that provides the ideal lux (Unit of luminance) for international cricket. It sports as many as 18 light towers, all of which are erected at a very low height. In fact the stadium, when totally lit, looks like a birthday cake with 18 candles adorning it! While the design enabled day-night matches to be staged in the stadium, without the short light towers interfering with the air force base’s activities during peacetime, it is another matter altogether when relations with Pakistan, which is just a few miles away, are strained. It is then that a lot more precautions need to be diligently taken. Make no mistake; the threat is very real as could be gauged in the media interaction with the hero of Australia’s T20I win in Bengaluru on Wednesday. It is no secret that many Australian cricketers are very much at home in India as 10 years of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped them forge many friendships even outside cricket circles. Virtually all the Aussie players love to play golf and fix games on their own with their local friends. They also freely attend parties, charity events and serve as guest of honours at opening ceremonies, prize distributions, etc. On Wednesday night, Maxwell was asked if the team had received caution travel instructions from the Australian foreign office. Maxwell said the team had full faith in their embassy and the latter’s security personnel would sit with the team and issue guidelines, if they were required, and the team would abide by it. Sources said that it was not just the Mohali match that could be shifted because of the current state of affairs between India and Pakistan. Even the final ODI in Delhi could be shifted. Bengaluru and Kolkata have been identified as the possible alternate venues and the association officials of both centres have been asked to get their facilities ready. KSCA sources said that the association was happy to oblige BCCI and would gladly accommodate the extra match in its venue at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Its ground and pitch were in fine shape, they pointed out, and they could be got match-ready in a very short time. Besides, KSCA certainly could do with some extra money in these days when the CoA had put a squeeze on finances, the source added (talk of opportunity in a crisis!). The Delhi ODI is slated for 13 March, three days after the Mohali match. It is the last international game before the IPL starts on 23 March. Sources revealed that the final ODI too could be shifted out, with the plan being to move it to the Eden Gardens. That iconic stadium is being primed for the IPL, but it could be made ready for the 13 March encounter. The final decision on these will be taken in the next couple of days. But with both Bengaluru and Kolkata being asked to get their grounds ready, sources said the decision would be a mere formality. Watch this space…